Finding Your Voice
by Tashana Ambrosia
Summary: What no one tells you about dating is that you end up with his/her family too. A little tale about Puck and Rachel and his family... cause you know that little sister of his is gonna be trouble.  Quick/friendship & Puckleberry.
1. Chapter 1

**Authoress' Notes:** Okay so this is my first piece for Glee. The first episode I ever saw was the "Thriller" one that aired after the Super Bowl and I was hooked. So I got this idea in my head and started working on it. Now this would have never happened without **Arichey****!** She helped me edit my grammar and she's a wonderful writer! She's marked as one of my favs and after you read this you should go read her stuff!

**Disclaimer:** Okay so Glee does not belong to me or something would be slightly different. So this is just for entertainment purposes. Enjoy!  
>The song is not mine either that belongs to Christina Aguilera and whomever writes for andor represents her.

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><p><strong>Finding Your Voice: Part One<strong>

* * *

><p>Will Schuester was sitting at his desk looking over Spanish tests, but his mind was wandering to his glee club and the lack of ideas for this year's Regionals. The competition was about a month away, and the New Directions were missing something beyond their set list. They had good teamwork and there was decidedly less drama than had been present in past years, but frankly, as much as he hated to admit it they were missing a Rachel or Mercedes. While the girls could be divas, no question there, they were very talented and they had been driven. The team was missing a catalyst and they needed it soon if they were going to do well. They had only made it through Sectionals because their competition had made mistakes. That wouldn't happen at Regionals; Vocal Adrenaline was one of the four choirs they were competing against.<p>

He looked at the club photo from 2012, the year they won Nationals, and it still made him smile; that was year it had really come together. Last year hadn't been that bad either; they'd placed third and he couldn't complain about that. Unfortunately, he'd lost so many kids last year that he'd nearly had to rebuild the club from scratch. It helped that winning Nationals had made the club more popular, but some of the members were still harassed.

The fast thump of athletic shoes drew his attention to the doorway. Adrian Daniels - tall, blonde, blue-eyed and the only cross-over between the Cheerios and glee - called out urgently, "Mr. Schue, there's fight in the hallway!"

He jumped up from his desk and chased behind the sophomore. "Do you know what started it?"

"No." She shook head and motioned for him to hurry. "It's Carl from the football team. He went after a girl, I think she's a freshman."

"He went after a girl?"

The "fight; fight; fight" chant was resounding from the wall of students cheering on the contenders.

"You f'ning bit me you little slut!" Carl yelled in indignation. The six-foot plus defensive back lunged at the petite brunette, who bobbed out of his way causing him to collide with the row of lockers behind her.

Will pushed through the students, "Break it up! Break it up!" He ordered as he saw Coach Beiste rounding the corner from the opposite end of the hall.

The brunette looked up at the sound of Will's voice and Carl caught her cheek with a left hook. She hit the ground hard, but pushed herself back up onto her feet.

"Wilson!" Coach Beiste bellowed at Carl, while she snatched the freshman girl up around the waist.

"Say it again! Call me that again you inbred hick!" The smaller girl was still trying to launch herself at the football player. She flailed her arms and legs, trying to get away from Coach Beiste. "Put me down."

"Knock that off." The football coach had no problem keeping a hold on the girl. "I can bench press more than you, missy." She looked back at Carl, "Principal's office."

"But coach she. . ."

"Now." She snapped at the jock. She sat the girl back on her feet and made eye contact with her. Upon seeing only defiance reflecting back at her, the coach shook her head, "With that attitude I should have known." She pushed the door to the women's bathroom open, "Go clean the blood off your face. I'll be walking you down to the principal's office."

Will was already directing the other students to their respective classes. He asked Shannon, "You have any idea what caused this?"

"Probably genetic." She scoffed.

He might have asked her what that comment meant, but the football coach had pushed the door to the bathroom back open.

"Adrian, please tell Principal Figgins I'll be down in a moment." She requested of the cheerleader, who nodded and scurried down the hall. She hollered into the bathroom, "Stop trying to wedge yourself out that window."

"Seriously guys get to class." Will finished directing the rest of the stragglers.

"What do you mean she got into a fight with Carl? You didn't try and stop her?" Devon Becker's voice questioned as he raced around the corner, with his twin brother Jared in tow. Both of the African-American boys were in Will's glee club and he quickly intercepted them.

"You guys are late for second period." He informed them. "Jared, go to your seat and tell the class I'll be there, in a moment."

"Sure thing, Mr. Schue." He nodded and hurried to the classroom.

Devon started behind his brother, but Will stopped him.

"Devon, do you know the girl who was fighting with Carl?"

Devon turned around and looked at Will. "Yeah, we're friends. I shoulda been there."

"Do you know what the fight was about?"

He rubbed the back of his neck and admitted quietly, "He's been givin' her a hard time. I told her to walk with me, but she's . . . stubborn."

"Next time let me know, okay?" Will patted Devon on the back, "Now get to class."

"Okay. Thanks Mr. Schue."

"No problem, Devon. I'll see you at practice this afternoon."

Will started back to his room as Coach Beiste walked out of the bathroom with her hand clamped on the younger girl's shoulder. The girl's head was down and she was tugging on her FlyLeaf t-shirt as she plodded towards the principal's office.

.:.

When Devon hadn't shown up in the choir room Will was worried; the junior had transferred in last year and he was never late. Kylie said that Devon's car was in the parking lot, but none of the members had seen him since last period. He asked Jared, but the other Becker boy had said that he was getting a ride home with Amaya because Devon asked him to. Will was gathering up his sheet music when a knock on the door echoed through the room.

"Mr. Schue?"

"Devon, where were you? I was worried when you didn't show up for practice. Is everything alright?" Will questioned the young man.

"Yeah, I got caught up helping Sarah, my friend from the fight this morning."

"Is she okay? I didn't get a chance to talk to Coach Beiste after the incident, but Emma said they had trouble getting a hold of her mother."

"She's okay. Her mom goes out town for work, so she can be hard to get a hold of sometimes. Principal Figgins made her sit in the nurse's office all day, since they couldn't send her home." Devon rubbed the back of his neck. This was a habit the boy had developed when he was nervous. "Mr. Schue?"

"What is it, Devon?"

"I think glee club could really help Sarah. I know she didn't try out or anything, but she can really sing. You think you could listen to her and encourage her join?"

"If she wouldn't try out, how are you going to convince her to sing for me?"

"She's in the auditorium. Just give me like five minutes and sneak in the side door."

Will shook his head, "Devon, I don't think this is a good idea."

"She's worth it." Devon argued. "Please, Mr. Schue, she needs something to keep her on the right path and I think you and glee club could do that. You've helped me so much and I know you could do that for her too."

"Ok." Will reluctantly agreed. "But she's going to have to agree. I could never force anyone to join glee."

Will waited outside of the auditorium's side door and listened to Devon talking to Sarah.

"Why should I? It's dumb and I'm not that good." The girl's voice was quiet and apathetic.

Devon countered her excuses and reminded her, "Baby-girl, you know that's a lie; you've a got a great voice. Besides, singin' always settles you down after a load of crazy, and that shit this morning, was crazy. How's your face?"

"It's okay. Ma's gonna flip when she sees it. I promised no more fights."

"This one really wasn't really your fault. He had no right to. . ."

"Don't matter. I'm gonna hear it over and over again 'til I graduate. High school just sucks."

As the girl paused Will could image her touching her right cheek, which was probably already purple.

"Alright, fine, I'll sing it. Just use the track we recorded at your house last night, that'll give me the background vocals."

"You got it. Belt it out, Baby-girl, just lose yourself in it."

The track started out with a just a bass beat and a piano, and Will slipped inside and sat down in the next to last row.

**Whoa, oh, yeah,****  
>She was so young with such innocent eyes<strong>**  
>She always dreamt of a fairytale life<strong>**  
>And all the things that your money can't buy<strong>**  
>She thought that he was a wonderful guy<strong>**  
>Then suddenly, things seemed to change<strong>**  
>It was the moment she took on his name<strong>**  
>He took his anger out on her face<strong>**  
>She kept all of her pain locked away<strong>

Sarah's head was down at first and she sang quietly into the microphone she was clutching. She clenched and unclenched her free hand, as if trying to force herself to be stronger for the song. At the line about taking on his name she motioned sliding a ring on her finger and continued with touching her cheek as she sang about him taking his anger out on her face. She lifted her face up as she started the chorus and her voice started to gain strength.

**Oh mother, we're stronger****  
>From all of the tears you have shed<strong>**  
>Oh mother, don't look back<strong>**  
><strong>**Cause he'll never hurt us again****  
><strong>**  
>So mother, I thank you<strong>**  
>For all that you've done and still do<strong>**  
>You got me, I got you<strong>**  
>Together we always pull through<strong>

Her cheek was slightly swollen and the bruise was already turning purple, but she still sang with a lot of power. Her voice had a raspy quality, and the emotion of it was very raw. Even though her eyes were glassy with tears, she seemed to hold them back from falling. There was something in Sarah's singing voice. . . it was so much more than her speaking voice. She was almost reminiscent of Rachel with her stage presence, even if her voice wasn't as polished or strong. The petite brunette seemed taller standing in the middle of the stage. This was what the New Directions needed: someone who sang with their whole being.

**It was the day that he turned on his kids****  
>That she knew she just had to leave him<strong>**  
>So many voices inside of her head<strong>**  
>Saying over and over and over,<strong>**  
>"You deserve much more than this."<strong>**  
><strong>**  
>She was so sick of believing the lies and trying to hide<strong>**  
>Covering the cuts and bruises (cuts and bruises)<strong>**  
>So tired of defending her life, she could have died<strong>**  
>Fighting for the lives of her children<strong>**  
><strong>

She pulled her arms to her chest, as if trying to protect herself and the mother she was obviously singing about. She wasn't standing still: she stomped her feet and motioned towards her ears when singing 'over and over.' She put up her fists and her face displayed all the emotions she'd been trying to hold back.

"Let it go, Baby-girl. You got this." Devon encouraged.

Sarah's eyes flicked down to Devon for a moment, before she nodded and focused her eyes back upwards. Finally the dam broke and a tear slipped down Sarah's cheek.**  
><strong>**  
>All of your life you have spent<strong>**  
>Burying hurt and regret<strong>**  
>But mama, he'll never touch us again<strong>**  
><strong>**  
>For everytime he tried to break you down<strong>**  
>Just remember who's still around<strong>**  
>It's over, and we're stronger<strong>**  
>And we'll never have to go back again<strong>

Her voice surged and her actions were open and dramatic. She wanted you feel everything that she was feeling. She wanted you know how much this hurt and how she was stronger for what she'd experienced. There was power in it that took the breath out of Will's lungs and brought tears to his eyes. Sarah was. . .

"Yeah, we're genetically pretty awesome." Noah Puckerman's voice made Will Schuester jump out of his skin.

He hadn't even noticed the boy crashing into the seat nearly directly behind him. "Puck, what are you doing here?" Will's eyebrow arched at the boy's use of the word 'genetically,' but chose to ignore that for the moment. "And are you seriously trying to convince me that Sarah's talented because she's Jewish?"

"Naw, she's talented because she's a Puckerman," Puck corrected matter-of-factly.

"Sarah's your younger sister?"

"S'what I said."

**Oh mother, we're stronger****  
>From all of the tears you have shed<strong>**  
>Oh mother, don't look back (oh mother don't look back again)<strong>**  
>Cause he'll never hurt us again (cause he'll never hurt us again)<strong>**  
><strong>**  
>So mother, I thank you (and I thank you for everything you've done)<strong>**  
>For all that you've done and still do (together we always move on)<strong>**  
>You got me, I got you, (you got me, I got you)<strong>**  
>Together we always pull through (always pull through)<strong>**  
>We always pull through<strong>**  
>We always pull through<strong>**  
><strong>**  
>I love you mom<strong>

Puck stood up and pointed up towards the stage, "I'm back in town and back _here_ because of her."

"I take it not for her birthday or a holiday." Will deduced.

"Got that right." Puck nodded before storming towards the stage. "Hey yenta! Where the fuck have you been?"

Devon jumped to his feet at the front of the auditorium, "What the hell did you just call her?"

"Keep your nose out of it, kid."

The boy might have gotten into Puck's face, but Sarah had launched herself at the older Puckerman. She was crying into his shirt, as he wrapped in a hug. Devon opted to stand off to the side quietly, letting Puck take over the care of Sarah. He did however make a mental note to find out what the hell Puck had called her later.

Puck couldn't make out what Sarah was saying. "Hey, hey, what's wrong? Are you okay, Sarah?"

"No." She shook her head. "I can't believe you're here."

Puck tipped her chin up and turned her face to get a look at the bruise, " 'Course I am. Ma's been calling the house for two days and you ain't picked up. Where you been? And who did that to your face?" He eyed Devon suspiciously, trying to figure out if this was the problem in his younger sister's life.

"I've been around. Devon let me stay with him." Sarah watched Puck's eyes narrow dangerously. "Not like that!" She smacked her brother in the chest. "I was supposed to be with Rebecca's family, but I. . . we just didn't get along." She dropped her head. "Can you just take me home?" she requested, her voice cracking.

"Yeah." Puck swung his arm around her shoulder and they started walking up the aisle.

They stopped near the top of the stairs and Puck nudged her towards Mr. Schuester.

Will took his cue and offered his hand to Sarah, "Sarah, I'm Mr. Schuester and I'd love for you to join my glee club. You've got talent and we could use you on our team."

Sara looked at him, back at Devon, and then back at the teacher. "Maybe. I'll think about it."


	2. Chapter 2

**Authoress' Note:** Okay obviously this story is going to be AU to a point. Since we've only had two seasons of Glee and there is a third on the way. So this keeps the first two seasons in mind.

**Disclaimer:** No. .. I still do not own Glee.

* * *

><p><strong>Finding Your Voice: Part Two<strong>

* * *

><p>"You use the brush at this angle, sweep it up and across your cheek and it will give you better coverage." Quinn's voice was quiet as she turned Sarah's face to examine her work. "It looks much better, more like an accident than what it was. I think this should, at least, fool your mother into thinking you weren't in a fight with someone twice your size. What was that about anyway?"<p>

Sarah averted her eyes from the older girl, "Don't wanna talk about it."

"Okay." Quinn nodded. It felt a little odd to be back in the Puckerman home, she hadn't been here since her pregnancy. She tugged at one of the slightly red locks of Sarah's hair and asked. "When did you do this?"

"Couple of days ago. It don't matter; it turned out stupid." She snorted. "I bought two boxes, 'cause I thought I'd need more, since my hair's long, but I did a trial run with it and you can't even see it."

"That's because your hair is so dark." Quinn separated out the make-up that she was going to be leaving with Sarah.

"The goth-chick from your glee club. . . she had blue streaks in her hair." Sarah nudged the bathroom rug with her toe.

"That's because Tina bleached the sections that she wanted blue first. That makes the color stand out more." Quinn spun the chair that Sarah was sitting on so the younger girl was facing the mirror. She picked up a hairbrush up from the bathroom sink and ran it through Sarah's long hair. "I can help you, if you want."

"Really? Why?" She was definitely a Puckerman; didn't mince her words.

Quinn chuckled. "Because you've had a rough day." She put the brush down and looked into Sarah's eyes via the reflection. "And I haven't forgotten about that time you painted my toenails when I couldn't even see my feet."

She shrugged. "It wasn't a big deal."

"It was to me." The blonde pulled her cell-phone out of her pocket. "So where should I send your brother for our dinner? We'll need about an hour or so."

"I could go for a Sonic burger." Sarah grinned, unable to help it.

Quinn's own mischievous smile grew as she dialed Puck's phone number. "Hey, I changed my mind. You think you could run to Sonic for me and get me one of their great chicken wraps and some their fries. Yes, I know the closest one is in Delphos. I'd really appreciate it. Sarah, what should he grab you?"

"He knows what to get me if he's going there."

Quinn turned her attention back to the phone. "Sarah says you should know what to get her. Thanks, Puck. Oh don't worry. We'll keep ourselves occupied until you come back."

"How pissed is he?" Sarah bit her lip trying to contain her giggle.

"He'll be over it by the time he gets back here." She slipped the phone back into her pocket and looked at the reflection of her 'project' in the mirror. "I think we should leave the top dark and put the red streaks in the under layers of your hair, so you don't have to fuss with it so much. We can bleach pieces and dye some of it red and leave some of it blonde; I think it would look kinda edgy. Is that what you wanted with this?" Quinn tugged at red lock of hair again.

Sarah made a face at their reflections. "I want it short. Could you chop it?"

"Puck hates short hair."

"I hated his mohawk." Sarah pulled a pair of scissors out from a drawer. "If you cut it I'll tell you why he shaved the mohawk back off."

Quinn couldn't contain her laugh as she gathered up Sarah's hair into a ponytail. "How short do you want it?"

"Short. I'm sick of looking like everyone else." She handed the scissors to Quinn.

The blonde college freshman carefully picked a spot just above Sarah's shoulders and cut through the thick ponytail. She handed it to Sarah and swept the girl's new nearly shortened hair over her shoulders. "We can start here; I'll cut layers into it too."

Sarah looked at the ponytail for a moment, and then threw it into the trash.

Quinn patted her shoulder, "Go change into a different shirt. I don't want to get bleach on the one you're wearing. Oh, grab some foil from the kitchen too."

The younger girl nodded and dashed out of the small bathroom.

Quinn pulled out her phone back out and sent Puck a text: Take your time. She's still not talking.

The response was quick and simple: K.

She slipped the phone back into her pocket and picked up the dye kit as Sarah re-entered the room. "Ready?"

"Past."

Quinn parted Sarah's hair at about the middle of her head, piled the top layer to the top of the girl's head and clipped it into place. "So you don't want to talk about the fight. Maybe we could talk about why you left Rebecca's? You really scared your mother and brother."

"Rebecca's brother is a jerk. He's a senior and on the football team and he thinks he can do whatever he wants." Sarah clamped her eyes closed and she blew out a long breath. "You know JosiahFichman?"

"A little; he played football with Puck last year." Quinn paused separating Sarah's hair. Josiah had a reputation for playing a little too rough with the girls, nothing proven though. However the younger Cheerios had been forbidden to date him by order of Santana. Quinn had always wondered why, but Latina girl had never given her a straight answer. "Sarah, did he hurt you?" She hadn't wanted to ask the question; its answer could have so many repercussions.

"No." Sarah folded her arms over her chest. "Like I'd let 'im. I left after he got mouthy. I don't really want to talk about this sh. . . stuff."

"As long as you're okay." She squeezed Sarah's shoulders. "So why did he ditch the mohawk? You promised to tell me. It's Rachel isn't it?"

"That's what he tells everyone. But it's 'cause he was worried the proff's wouldn't take him seriously with it. He'll probably cut it back in next year, especially since everyone's into self-expression and all that crap at his college."

Quinn paused mixing up the bleach. "Puck was worried about what his professors thought?"

"He just really wants to do well. He only got to go 'cause of the scholarships. He hasn't missed any classes or anything. . . I guess until today or tomorrow maybe."

"When does he fly back?"

"Saturday morning. I can't believe he had the cash to fly in the first place."

"He didn't." Quinn folded the section of treated hair into the foil and clipped it to Sarah's head. "He had to borrow the money from Santana."

"Shit." Sarah winced as Quinn flicked her ear. "Ouch. Sorry, I know, PG-13 rating: no excessive cussing." She sighed. "At least it's Santana and not Zizes I gotta help pay back. I wasn't sad to see her bounce."

Quinn clipped another section of hair. "That's not very nice, Puck really cared about Lauren."

"She started it. You were grouchy, but it was understandable; Santana was bitchy, but she used to bribe me if she wanted me out of the way; Zizes locked me in a closet." Sarah huffed and folded her arms over her chest.

"When did that happen?"

"Valentine's day two years ago. She wanted some _alone_ time," She shuddered at the word alone, "with Noah and didn't want me around. Bitch told him that I went to a friend's house, after she locked me in that closet in the basement." Sarah looked up at Quinn, who was still working on her hair. "Aren't you going to swat me for saying, bitch?"

"No, that's justified. Did you ever tell Puck?"

"Naw. He really liked her and he was really messed up after you and well you know. . . I figured if he was happy then, he'd just owe me one."

The blonde nodded and looked over her work. "Okay, I'm all done with this part; do you have a hair dryer?"

Sarah retrieved it from under the sink and handed it to Quinn. The girls were quiet, while Quinn used the blow dryer to speed along the bleaching process. After about a half an hour of setting, Quinn rinsed out Sarah's hair. She dried the newly lighten locks, while Sarah mixed the red dye solution.

Quinn put on a new pair of gloves and started applying the dye to some of Sarah's hair. Sarah's I-pod was docked in the radio and it was shuffling through a variety of song styles, everything from Journey to Pitbull to Flyleaf, Sarah's favorite band. Santana had helped Puck out by sitting in line to get tickets to Flyleaf's show this past summer. Quinn had seen the post on Puck's facebook page: Not my favorite concert ever, but it's cool 'cause Sarah loved her birthday.

"He called me a slut." Sarah admitted so quietly, that Quinn almost didn't hear her.

She clipped the last section of what would be red hair in place and sat down on the edge of the tub. She looked at Sarah in the mirror again and watched the younger girl's lip quiver.

"Josiah asked me if I was gonna be a slut like my brother was a man-whore." Sarah started trembling. "He said he'd get me off to a good start, if I got down on my knees like a good girl. I shoved him and took off down the stairs. I ran 'til I got to Devon's house and knocked on his bedroom window; he let me crash there. Carl started on me when I got to school. He grabbed my shoulder and tried forcing me into the janitor's closet. He said that Josiah said I was good, which is a fucking lie 'cause we didn't do anything!" Tears started falling from her eyes as she recounted the events from the morning, "He said I might as well get used to closets and the backseats of the football players' cars. I just lost my temper and I started swinging. . . I bit him and he popped me in the face, that's when they broke us up." The words spilled out in a rush, as Sarah clamped her eyes closed.

Quinn pulled her into a hug and rubbed Sarah's back as the girl started sobbing. "It's alright. He's not gonna hurt you."

"What am I gonna do when Ma goes out of town for work? She knows the Fichmans from temple and that's why I was staying there." Sarah had buried her head into Quinn's chest, finally acting the scared fourteen-year-old she was.

"I have an idea about that." Quinn waited until the girls sobs slowed, than patted her back. "Here I have a surprise for you."

Sarah moved away from Quinn and wiped the tears away from her face. She blew her nose and wiped her hands off on her shorts. When Quinn handed her a photograph, Sarah's face broke into a smile. "Did you just get this?"

"Yes. I know Puck took all his pictures to New York with him. I figured I'd give you a copy of this one." Her voice was small and controlled, but she managed a soft smile. "She'll be four this year."

Sarah ran her finger down the photograph of her niece and whispered, "Neshomeleh."

"What did you say, Sarah?"

She shrugged, but answered defensively fast, "Nothin'."

"Sarah," Quinn insisted, trying to stay calm. Sarah and Mrs. Puckerman both spoke Yiddish; Quinn knew that they had been speaking about her in that language when she lived here. Puck claimed to not remember what his Nana had tried to teach him and insisted that he couldn't translate what they were saying. She had even asked Rachel out of desperation, but the diva hadn't been able to help her. Hearing a word like that come out of Sarah's mouth made all of Quinn's defenses go right back up. "I think I've heard that word before; what does it mean? If it's a derogatory. . ."

"It just means sweet soul." Sarah explained quickly and looked up at Quinn, "Or sweetheart or darling. It can be translated a couple of ways, depending on the speaker and context. And you've heard it before. . . 'cause, it's one of the only words, that Noah remembers."

"I don't ever remember him saying anything like that."

Sarah looked back down at the picture and muttered, "I'm not supposed to tell you about it. I promised not to and he'll hate my guts if I tell you."

Quinn sat back down, "I don't think it's possible for your brother to hate you. Is it about Beth?" She struggled with her daughter's name. She tried so hard not to think about that year of her life; it had been the worst and best year of her life so far. "You can tell me, Sarah. I promise not to tell Puck."

She took a deep breath and looked at the picture, before meeting Quinn's eyes. "He used to talk to Beth after you fell asleep, 'cause you slept like a corpse and he knew you wouldn't hear him."

Quinn's breath caught in her throat as she thought about all the times she'd found Puck asleep next to the bed.

"He asked Nana to teach him a Jewish prayer. But there's no prayer for giving someone away, unless you're giving them back to God, and that just wouldn't work. So he used to whisper to Beth: 'Ani Mitzta'eret. Ani Ohevet Otcha, Neshomeleh. Chalomot Tovim'." She swallowed, before continuing with the translation. "Roughly it means: 'I'm sorry. I love you, sweetheart. Sweet Dreams'." Sarah grabbed one of Quinn's hands pleaded, "You can't ever tell him that I told you that! He'd be so. .."

Quinn cut her off by pulling her into a hug. "I won't tell him, Sarah. Thank you." When she pulled away, she had to wipe tears away from her own cheeks. The timer for the red dye chimed and both girls jumped. She managed an unsteady chuckle, "Now, how about we finish this up?"

She cleared her throat and nodded, grateful for the change in topic. "Cool. What about cutting in some bangs?"

"I think I can manage that."

.:.

"It's an emo-brat haircut." Puck complained as he and Quinn sat on the porch, while Sarah talked to their mother on the phone.

"But it's not black," she pointed out, sipping on her watermelon cream freeze. "I think it suits her."

Puck took a long drink of the beer he had picked up on his way home. The kid behind the counter had recognized him, but didn't even bother carding him, just charged him five bucks extra. On reflex he'd called Quinn at the liquor store and asked her if she wanted something, Quinn declined his offer, for obvious reasons. He felt kinda dumb for offering after he'd hung up, but she hadn't mentioned it. "Ma's gonna hate it."

"Add to the list of things she hates me for." She drew her legs up and rested her chin on her knees.

"She don't hate you for anything. It was always me she was pissed at. My fuck up, not really your bad." He looked down at her and she leaned against him. "Thanks for helping with Sarah and the make-up thing. I didn't know who else to call." He lifted his arm and draped it over her shoulders.

"It's nothing; I didn't mind. But you know, I shouldn't have let you take all the blame. It wasn't fair." She rubbed her hand over his knee. "It meant a lot to Sarah, you coming home. How's New York?"

"It's good." He smiled unconsciously, "How are things here?"

"The same." She sighed as a sad memory from the hallways of McKinley High replayed in her mind. "It's ironic really. . . I end up the Lima loser and you end up in New York."

"You ain't no loser. Nothing wrong with doing your first year of college. . . community."

"You didn't."

He lifted his arms over his head and stretched lazily, "Someone had to follow after the Diva to protect her."

"I'm sure Kurt appreciates the knight-in-shinning-armor bit, but I know he doesn't like being called a girl and doesn't Blaine get jealous of. . ."

Puck gave her a gentle shove. "Bitchy woman. What's wrong with you?"

"Jealousy."

They were quiet for a few moments, content to listen to the sounds of crickets and car alarms. They had learned to be in each others' presence without fighting some time ago. They had developed this silent camaraderie forged from the pain they held close to their hearts. The bond between them was marked with a golden charm on the bracelet that Quinn never took off and a tattoo on the upper part of Puck's right arm.

It had started the night after Finn, Rachel and Kurt had graduated. The ceremony itself had been on a Friday and was emotional, with the remaining glee club members doing a mash-up of "Graduation" by Vitamin C and "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" by Green Day. The club had a small send-off party for Rachel and Kurt, who were of course New York bound and Finn, who surprised everyone by signing up for the army. They had swapped stories, and joked until late, no one really wanting to leave.

Quinn had called him around midnight Saturday night; she had sobbed and pleaded with him to come over to her house. They hadn't ever been close, not even when she was carrying his child, staying in his home, and sleeping in his bed. She had thrown her arms around his neck and cried out, heartbroken, "I miss my daughter. God how does it still hurt so fucking much? Please tell me that you miss her too… that you understand."

He did understand and he did miss Beth. Their precious daughter who he'd only held once, but that he thought of at least once a day. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he'd cried with Quinn that night. They held each other all night and when Quinn's mother found them asleep on the couch together, she had simply covered them with a blanket.

He woke up alone; it was Sunday and Quinn never missed church. He found an envelope with pictures of their little girl, with a note that said, _"I'll always give you anything that Shelby gives me about her, but I can't talk about it. I know that she'll be between us forever, our invisible tether. I'm sorry for everything. I know we won't ever be best friends or anything so conventional, but I woul__d love to be able to talk to you."_

Their relationship had changed dramatically in that moment. They weren't close at school, but they would spend time alone occasionally. They spent Beth's birthday together last year; it had been a bittersweet experience. Puck had to admit that spending the evening with her was better than waking up with a massive hangover or getting into a fight.

Puck finally broke the silence by asking about Sarah, "Did ever she say what it was about?"

"Yes, finally, but she's really upset about the whole thing. She left the Fichmans because Josiah tried forcing himself on her. And the fight with Carl Wilson this morning was follow-up, probably because Josiah called him and told him to rattle her."

"Did either of them do anything to her?" Puck's knuckles turned white from the intensity of his grip on the bottle.

"No. Josiah she ran from, that's how she ended up with Devon. Carl didn't stand a chance; she started swinging before he could try anything."

Puck sighed heavily and looked out at the neighborhood. "It's gonna suck moving back."

Quinn looked surprised and questioned. "Why would you move back? I thought you were doing well."

"I am. But Ma can't afford to not work that private gig in Cincinnati. She makes more in three days than she did in two weeks at the hospital. For the first time, since my old man walked out, she can pay the bills, on time." He threw the bottle across the lawn, needing an outlet for his frustration, "I'm gonna have to move back home to take care of Sarah. I can't have her running 'round like me and gettin' into shit."

"I could help." Quinn paused after noticing his shocked expression, and nodded encouragingly. "I already talked to my mother about it. Sarah can stay with us, when your mother's out of town."

As if on cue the door opened and Sarah leaned out, "Ma, wants to know if your mother's number is still the same."

"It is."

Sarah nodded and disappeared back into the apartment building.

Puck stared at Quinn, still stunned.

"What?" She finally asked somewhat exasperated.

He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into a hug, "When did you get so nice?"

"When I realized that I was an awful person through most of high school. How hurtful I had been to so many people. How I had to change, if I wanted to be really happy. . . And when I finally realized that I really did do the right thing for Beth and forgave myself." Her voice had gotten very quiet with the last statement.

There was an unwritten rule between them, not to talk directly about Beth. There were times they did, of course, but they were always alone and it was for a specific purpose. When Shelby sent her pictures and updates, she always forwarded them to Puck, but they didn't discuss it. She found creative ways to get the envelopes to him: sliding them into his locker, leaving them on the seat of his truck, since he didn't lock the doors, or taping them to his door.

He had even hidden his tattoo from her, probably afraid that it would upset her. She had found out about the 'artwork' through a text from Santana. There had been a wild party Friday night after the first football game and while Quinn opted not to attend, she had been updated all night via texts and tweets from her friends. About two in the morning she had gotten a gibberish text from Santana complete with picture of Puck. Quinn had almost deleted it on reflex, but something stopped her. She had stared in disbelief at the fuzzy image and what she thought she was seeing in it. On the following Monday morning she marched straight up to Puck and, without a word, she shoved up the right sleeve of his t-shirt. He stayed perfectly still, while she traced the words: "I hear you calling" between the detailed music bars and the number's that marked Beth's birthday. She looked up at Puck and saw the uncertainty in his eyes; she realized that he was waiting for her to react angrily. Quinn reached out for Puck's left hand and placed it over her bracelet and gave him an encouraging smile. She wanted him to understand that she had meant her note and she wanted them to be friends. She also hoped that one day he could forgive her for giving their child away.

"Glad you were tough enough to do it, for her. Fuck knows I wasn't. You weren't always so bad, there was like Christmas one year and I think there was a Tuesday once that you. . ." She socked him in the arm, before he could continue. "Ouch."

"Come on, walk me to my car. I have something for you."

Puck stood up first and helped Quinn to her feet. The two walked in silence to her little Honda and he held the door as she climbed in. She reached for the envelope in the passenger seat and handed it to him.

He tested the weight of the package and arched an eyebrow, "Whole photo album?" He questioned.

She shook her head. "Go ahead and open it."

He unsealed it and took what looked like an e-reader out of the envelope. He powered it on and the screen lit up with a picture of Beth smiling brightly. There were icons marked: pictures, videos and updates. He blinked confused. "Did Shelby give you this?"

"She gave me two. She'll send updates, pictures, and everything directly to them for us." Quinn explained.

Overcome with emotion, he leaned in and kissed Quinn's forehead. "Thanks Q. This is the shit."

She smiled. "I gotta go. I've got class early tomorrow."

"Drive safe ok? Text me when you're home."

She nodded and he moved away from her car.

They waved goodbye through the glass and he started walking back up to the house. He looked at the reader for a moment then tapped the icon marked videos and saw that there was only one. He drew in a breath and opened it. The video was short: 15 seconds. It was just _her_ running around in what he assumed was her room and laughing happily. He closed the video and slid the reader back into the envelope.


	3. Chapter 3

**Authoress'**** Notes: **Hope you enjoy this part. The song used near the end of this piece is quite lovely, it's by Noa, a Jewish singer. I thought Puck would approve. ;) Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** Nope still don't own Glee. Nor do I own the song mentioned in this story.

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><p><strong>Finding Your Voice: Part Three<strong>

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><p>"It's not gonna happen. 'Cause I said so that's why. For the nine millionth time will you tell hot-head in the background, that <em>yenta<em> just means busy-body. Jesus H! Jared, haven't you guys ever watched _Fiddler on the Roof_? No, I'm not trying to force you into a stereo-type. Don't be such a drama queen. . . If I were stereo-typing you or trying to be mean I would tell you to get your lacy pink panties out of a bunch and turn off the Elton John." Sarah Puckerman made a face in the mirror as she talked on her cell phone. "No, I'm not talking to him. Because he tricked me, Jared, that's why."

Puck leaned against the doorframe of Sarah's room. "Get off the phone. We gotta talk."

She scowled at him and held up a single finger, silently asking for another minute. "Jared, he had Schue hiding in the fucking auditorium when I was singing. That's not the point and we're not talking about glee or my potential involvement in it. Look I'm gonna be mad if I wanna be. I don't give a rat's ass if he's sorry."

"Now, Sarah." Puck growled.

"Jared, I gotta go. I'll see you at school tomorrow, if I haven't been skinned alive." She flipped her long bangs away from her face and breezed by her brother.

"Were you talking to Jared Becker?"

"Yeah. So?" She thumped down the stairs with him on her heels.

"Wait the guy from the auditorium was Devon Becker?"

She plopped down on the couch. "Yeah. You didn't recognize him from last year? Jeeze, you were in glee with the guy for a whole year."

"He was like six inches shorter and stick-thin. What the hell happened to him?" He settled at the opposite end of the couch and arched an eyebrow.

"Growth spurt." She shrugged. "They both came to school six feet tall. Devon wanted to play football, so he worked out like all summer and put on a bunch of muscle. Jared, not so much, he went to some drama camp."

"Figures." Puck folded his arms over his chest. "So what was that bullshit this morning about? And why did you up and leave Fichman's in the middle of the damn night. Ma about had a heart attack when Mrs. Fichman called her. You're lucky it's me here and not her, 'cause she's gonna end you when she gets back from Cincinnati tomorrow night."

"I know." She muttered glumly and looked down as she tugged on the Flyleaf t-shirt she'd put back on after Quinn had finished her hair.

He sighed and tipped her chin up, "Seriously. Just tell me what happened."

"You'll kill him and go to jail and I don't wanna visit you in jail." She pushed his hand away.

"Just spit it out. I won't kill anyone unless I have a place to hide the body and an alibi."

She stood up and paced around the room. She finally drew in a deep breath and let the words rush out. "Josiah said that I was trailer trash and our whole family was a bunch of Lima losers. Then he said I'd end up being a slut, 'cause I'm a Puckerman and it was only a matter of time 'til I was knocked up or some shit. He grabbed my shoulders and told me to get on my knees."

Puck was struggling to keep his temper in check. The blood was rushing in his ears, it was all he could do not to jump off the couch, drive to Josiah's house and make his sister's fears a reality. "Where the fuck were his parents?"

"Out somewhere I don't know." She raised her chin up proudly, "I shoved him so hard that he ended up on his ass."

He nodded; proud she knew how to defend herself. "That's how you ended up at Devon Becker's place?" Even though Puck had already heard this story from Quinn, he needed to hear Sarah explain it.

She nodded and paced a little more. "He let me in his bedroom window. He let me sleep there and he crashed in Jared's room. I thought that shit was over, but Carl grabbed me between first and second period and tried to force me into the janitor's closet. Josiah lied to him, he told Carl that he made me do stuff, but I didn't, Noah, I swear he never touched me, I wouldn't have let him. I'm not some little weak. . ."

Noah had gotten up in the middle of her rant and covered her mouth with his hand. "I know you ain't weak. Come on, sit back down." He led her back to the couch and they sat back down. "We have to talk to Figgins tomorrow morning and I gotta know; did you break the only rule in fighting?"

"Yes." She admitted quietly. Noah told her more than once there that was no fair in a fight: a fight was a fight plain and simple. There was only one rule: don't swing first. If you don't throw the first punch its self-defense and no one can blame someone for defending themselves. "But Noah, he was trying to make me. . ."

"I know." He nodded. "That'll help. I talked to Coach," he rolled his eyes at her chuckle, "yeah I still call her Coach, deal with it. Anyways, brat, she said this isn't your first fight. She said if the first one hadn't been under special circumstances this would be number three. She also said that you wouldn't talk to Figgins at all today."

"He don't care about me. Why should I try and explain things if they're just gonna think what they want?"

Puck reached forward and smacked the back of her head.

"What the hell!" Sarah hollered.

"Don't be like me." He growled. "I almost didn't get out of this town, because of shit like that. Tomorrow, when we talk to Figgins you are gonna tell him what Carl tried to do and when Ma comes home you will tell her what happened at Fichmans. Right now you are gonna tell me about these other two fights."

She glared at him and he glared right back at her, finally she gave in. "The first one was the first day of school, three guys from the hockey team attacked Jared, 'cause he's gay and apparently that's some kind of crime. Which, by the way, you were the one who told me that bullying wasn't cool, so I'm blaming you for my actions." She noticed his unimpressed expression and continued, "Anyways, they stared beating on him and he didn't stand a chance alone, so I jumped on one of them and just kept swinging while I was screaming for help. The hockey coach pulled us apart and we all had a chat in the principal's office. Jared and I have been friends ever since and that's how I met Devon." She looked away from Puck as she finished her story.

Puck's phone went off; the ringtone playing 'Sweet Caroline.' He lifted the phone and chose the 'ignore with text option' and typed a quick: "call you back later." He turned back to Sarah and prodded, "And the second?"

"Some cheerleader got mad at me for her boyfriend checking me out. She pulled my ponytail and called me a bitch, so I slapped her. It shouldn't have been a big deal, but she went crying to Coach Sylvester, so I got suspended for two days." Sarah folded her arms over her chest. "Is high school gonna suck the whole four years?"

"Pretty much." He laughed and decided that he had let Santana around his sister, way too much. "You should join glee."

Sarah scrambled off the couch. "Can't."

"Why? It's kinda fun, when it's not being stupid and you like to sing."

"Great sales pitch." She responded sarcastically, before explaining. "I can't join glee because of Devon."

"Did he mess with you too? I swear to god! I'm gonna kick every guys' ass that goes to the hell-hole school!" Puck growled.

"No. Devon would never do anything like that!" Sarah realized that she responded too quickly. She glared at her brother's newly amused face. "Shut it!" She demanded.

Puck started laughing, "You like him." He accused.

"Shut up!" She practically roared as she stomped up stairs and slammed her door closed.

He shook his head at her and retrieved the phone from the coffee table.

He called his mother again and this time she picked up. They talked for almost an hour: Puck gave her an abridged version of what had happened to Sarah today, a complete description of what he was going to do tomorrow at the school, and discussed Quinn, her offer to help and how helpful it was going to be. He did not mention how bad the fight had really been or Sarah's new haircut. He also made a mental note to go pick up dinner when she saw it.

Near the end of the call Mrs. Puckerman drew in a ragged breath and apologized to her son. There were so many things that he'd taken care of, that she should have been there to handle. He brushed her off and said that they'd call it even for all the gray hairs he'd caused her. They talked about New York and how school was going for him; and about Cincinnati and how if Nana wasn't sick that she would have probably moved there with Sarah.

She told him that she was so proud of how he was handling things and he responded that it was about time he did something to make her proud. She made an angry sound into the phone and chastised him, "Noah Elijah Puckerman, I am always proud of you, no matter what." He smiled and told her that he wouldn't doubt it again, he loved her, and he would call her after the meeting with Figgins in the morning.

He walked back up the stairs and knocked on Sarah's door. When she didn't answer he pushed the door open slowly and found her sitting at her little desk, head down. He stepped around her chair and noticed that she was asleep, reading glasses still perched on her nose. He slid her glasses off and lifted her away from the chair and laid her on her bed. He grabbed a blanket and covered her with it. He lifted her alarm clock and set it for 6:30am, figuring that it would give her plenty of time to get ready in the morning.

Sarah murmured quietly in her sleep and her arm failed out for something she wasn't finding. Noah rolled his eyes and felt under her bed, until he found the floppy-eared bunny-looking plushy thing and retrieved it. He set it next to Sarah's arm and she snuggled it to her chest. God, she was still such a kid.

He glanced at her homework on the desk, and noticed how detailed and organized it was. Damn-it, maybe she wasn't such a little kid anymore. He clicked the light off on his way out of her bedroom.

He went for a run to clear his head and after returning he took a long shower and crashed on the bed in his old room. He lifted his phone to check his messages, and it occurred to him that he'd completely forgotten to return that phone call from earlier. Shit. He glanced at the clock; it was almost midnight. Double shit. He scrolled through the menu and located the missed call. He highlighted the name and hit the send button.

"Hello?" Her voice was heavy with sleep, she must have dosed off waiting for him to call back.

"B? God babe, I'm so sorry. I forgot to call back I was talking to Sarah."

"S'okay."

Yup, she'd been asleep, bad grammar was a dead giveaway for her.

"She alright?"

"Yeah, she'll be okay. Just a real bad day. B, I think, I ruined her. I was horrible example, she's way too much like me." He grumbled into the phone knowing the girl on the other end wouldn't remember in the morning.

"No. You've always been good big brother to her. I don't think there's anything wrong with you, Noah."

He heard her moving around and he could imagine her on the couch under her favorite red blanket. "Go back to sleep, Rachel. I'll call you in the morning. I'm sorry I called so late."

"S'okay. I got news." Even tired she sounded happy.

"Good news or bad news?" He already knew it had to be theater related for her to be keeping herself awake to tell him.

"I get to try out for a part in a summer show. Musicals in Central Park, it would just be for a month or so, but I get to try out for Kate."

"Oh yeah? Sounds awesome, B." He decided not to ask, who _Kate_ was; knowing the explanation would wake the diva completely. "What did Markus say?"

"Um… something about how there would be a lot of better, more experienced actresses trying out."

She was so honest, when she was half-awake. He almost felt bad about getting the unfiltered information from her, almost. "Babe, Markus is a jack-off. There might be actresses with more experience than you, but I don't know anyone better. You tell Markus that he owes you dinner for being an ass."

"Thanks Noah." She didn't comment on his cussing. She was gonna think this whole conversation was a dream. "You always say the nicest things to me."

He snorted, "No, I always say honest things. Now set your alarm for an hour later, skip your stupid workout."

"Can't."

"Sure you can. Look you were up way too late waiting on me. You need the sleep."

She yawned again. "'K, but just this once."

"Good girl. Get some sleep, B."

"'K. 'Night, Noah. Sweet dreams." She murmured.

"Night, B. I'll see you Saturday."

"Good I miss you."

She hung-up before he could comment and he decided that it was probably for the best.

.:.

After four months, three hours of ranting about Sarah's new haircut, two relationships changes, and one unbelievable Regoinals competition, the _New Directions_ were at Nationals in Cincinnati.

Puck settled into his seat at the theater and looked at the brunette next to him. "No critiquing today, B."

"Her pitch was slightly. . ." Rachel Berry bit her lip at the look Puck shot her, but added quietly, "I'm only trying to help her."

"And I want you to, but not today." He tapped her nose with his index finger. "She's got the worst case of stage-fright."

"She shouldn't be worried. She did well at Regionals."

"There were less people at Regionals and she had a much smaller part."

Rachel considered this for a moment, "They sounded wonderful in rehearsal this morning. Sarah has no reason to be nervous."

"She's the opening solo, that's a little nerve-wracking for her. We aren't all born performers."

"You think I'm a born performer?" She couldn't contain her smile.

He kissed her cheek, "Don't fish. You know you're my Broadway Baby." She blushed as he turned her face and caught her lips in a quick tender kiss.

"Tell me my eyes aren't deceiving me and I am actually witnessing Puckleberry 2.0." Kurt's giant smile would not be contained and Rachel jumped up to hug him.

Rachel was whispering something to Kurt that Puck couldn't quite hear. He held out his hand to shake Blaine's hand. "'Sup man? Whatcha guys doing here?"

Blaine accepted Puck's hand. "Not much. I have a cousin in _Sweet Serenade_; they're from upstate New York, first time they've made Nationals." He leaned closer to Puck and whispered, "I thought you and Rachel were gonna keep this quiet for a while?"

"Plannin' on it, but I suppose that's a bust now that Kurt knows." Puck laughed, before addressing the fore mentioned gossip. "Hey Kurt, keep the Puckleberry shit on the down low. We ain't told my Ma yet and Rach ain't ready to be measured for a wedding dress."

"Consider my lips sealed." Kurt mocked zipping his lips closed as the two took their seats behind Rachel and Puck. "I heard _New Directions_ is good this year."

"Knocked out _Vocal Adrenalin_ at Regionals." Puck said with a satisfied smile.

"That's the first time they haven't been to Nationals in twenty years." Rachel informed them. "Noah's sister Sarah is the opening solo and she sounds wonderful."

"Um. . . Puck?" Emma Schuester interrupted as she came closer to his seat, her hand supporting her swollen belly.

Puck was on his feet; he didn't have a good track record with pregnant women at show choir competitions. "Mrs. Schue, are you okay?"

"I told you kids, after you graduated its Emma. Don't worry I'm fine. It's Sarah; she's having a panic attack. Will asked me to come get you." She waved him toward the back of the theater.

"Okay." He was already racing up the aisle way. Rachel was right, Sarah really didn't have any reason to be nervous, she sounded great. That fact just probably didn't matter much to her right now.

He rounded corner after and corner and kept finding people, but not Sarah. He knew her well enough to know that she would have fled to an isolated area. He stopped when he thought he heard Sarah's voice chanting an "I can't; I can't."

There was small hallway off to the side of the restrooms, it was isolated and dark, but Sarah's glittery gold dress reflected the light. The sight of her in the costume caught him off guard. He was used to her in baggy jeans, t-shirts and boots. The flowing dress, heels and dramatic make-up, made her look too grown up for his liking. Puck would have called out to her, but he noticed that Sarah wasn't alone. Devon was talking to her trying to get her to meet his eyes.

Sarah was shaking her head and tugging at the synthetic dark hair of the wig that she'd insisted on wearing.

Puck watched the Devon spin Sarah around and hug her from behind. He could hear her labored breathing and other boy talking to her. He strained to hear what Devon was saying.

The tall boy was patting Sarah's chest, beating out his heartbeat over hers. "Come on now, Sarah, calm down, listen to my voice. There you go, Baby-girl, nice and slow. Breathe with me. In and out; in and out; that's my girl."

"I can't do this." She insisted in a shaky voice. "Devon, I'm so scared. What if I mess this whole thing up?"

"No way. You can sing this in your sleep." He spun her around and carefully wiped the tears away her face. "You actually were on the bus last night."

The corners of her lips tipped up in a slight smile.

"There's my Baby-girl." His thumb was still idly stroking her cheek. "Sarah, I know you can do this. I've never seen anyone as brave as you."

Sarah was blushing all the way to her ears. "I'm not. . ."

He pressed a finger to her lips and she fell silent. "You are. Listen, Sarah, win or lose, I don't care. I just. . ."

She blinked, unable to move or speak.

"Look this might not be the right time or place, but you're so special. Sarah, I like you and I want us to be to. . ."

Sarah pushed herself up on her tip-toes and pressed her lips against Devon's. When he kissed her back she wrapped her arms around his neck to get a better angle.

He pulled away, but rested his forehead against hers. "Baby-girl, don't you know I was supposed to kiss you first?"

"Screw the rules. You were talkin' too much." Despite her remaining blush, Sarah managed a cocky smile. "Kiss me one more time and I'll be ready to rock this house."

Puck started to move forward, but small hand caught his elbow and pulled him back. Her voice drew his attention away from the scene. "You know you shouldn't be here."

"Rachel, she's only a kid." He argued as Rachel shook her head.

A blur of blonde flashed by them and a taller girl yipped in surprise at what she found in the hallway. "Whoa! Okay we've all been routing for _Pucker_, but we've gotta be on stage in like fifteen minutes!" She pushed them forward. "Come on seriously, Mr. Schue is freaking out."

"Okay Adrian, we're moving." Devon reached for Sarah's hand.

Sarah shook her head, "Go on ahead. I won't be late for our duet."

Devon nodded and took off to meet up with the choir.

Adrian started behind him, but Sarah grabbed her hand. "Adrian, do you think you could fix my hair."

The blonde cocked her head to the side, "I can't really do anything with that wig."

"No, my real hair." Sarah explained.

"Yes, but we've gotta hurry." She smiled brightly and pushed Sarah into the restroom.

"Come on, let's go sit back down." Rachel threaded her arm through his.

He snorted in protest, and looked away.

"Noah, she's growing up."

"She's only fourteen and he's seventeen." He muttered as they started back to their seats.

"She's almost fifteen, that's only two years difference or so." She was biting her lip to contain her laughter. "Do you remember what you were like at that age?"

"Yes." He exclaimed barely able to contain the terror in his eyes. "Yes, I do. I was five steps from knocking up the captain of the Cheerios."

She giggled in spite of her trying to keep composure.

"S'not funny, Rach." He grumbled.

"Noah." She touched his cheek and he stopped to look at her. "She's a smart girl and I'm sure that won't happen. Now, let's go enjoy the show." She pushed up on her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss.

He let her lead them back down to their seats.

"Is your sister all right?" Blaine asked concerned at the expression on Puck's face.

"She's fine." He plopped in the seat.

Rachel shook her head at his antics. "He's upset, because he just saw how grown-up his sister really is." She explained. "He just saw her kiss a boy."

Kurt squealed a bit and it earned him a warning glare from the still brooding Puckerman, but he couldn't resist commenting. "Ah, young love."

"No one said anything about love." Puck growled.

Rachel patted his arm. "He seems like a nice boy and it looked like he really cares about her."

"Teenage boys only care about one thing."

Blaine was struggling to contain his laughter and motioned for Kurt to stay quiet.

She blinked and patted his arm again, "I'm sure. . ."

The lights dimmed to mark the end of the intermission and the audience hushed and settled into their seats. The music started up and the spotlight focused at the center of the stage. Sarah Puckerman, multicolored hair and bright smile stood behind the microphone as the music stared to play. The song was Noa's "Beautiful that Way" from the film "Life is Beautiful." The words flowed out in Sarah's soft emotional voice and the audience was drawn into her spell.

Rachel leaned close to Noah and whispered. "She's amazing, Noah."

"I know." He smiled and cleared his throat from the lump that had formed in it.

.:.

Later that night, with _New Directions_ moving on to the semi-finals the next day, the young couple had retired to their hotel room. Puck left the bathroom after his shower and looked to the bed at his already sleeping girlfriend and shook his head. He had picked Rachel up at rehearsal at one in the morning and they had driven straight from there to Cincinnati. She had dozed a little when they drove through Pennsylvania, but she'd been too excited about the show to really sleep.

She had originally been cast as an understudy, but after three weeks of rehearsals the director rearranged her into the lead as Kate from the show _Kiss Me Kate_. The show opened in three weeks and Rachel's fathers already had tickets to opening night.

She had sung some of the parts to him, prodding him to help her practice, which he did, because let's face it, she did have him wrapped around her little finger, even if he'd never let her know that. When they drove through Harrisburg, PA, she was snoring softly and he sang quietly along with the radio to avoid waking her, while still keeping himself awake. She muttered quietly that he was off-key and shifted away from him to face the window.

He laid down next to Rachel on the bed and curled himself around her. She smiled in her sleep as he wrapped his arm around her waist. He kissed the back of her neck and her nose twitched.

"Tomorrow." She mumbled, "Breakfast in the room."

"Just go to sleep crazy girl." He chuckled and felt himself relax with the scent of raspberries and Rachel in his nose. "Ani Ohevet Otcha." He whispered quietly without meaning for it to slip out.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing, Rachel. It's just been too long since I got to hold you for a whole night. Just go to sleep, baby. I've got ya."

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><p><strong>So I originally planned this to end here, but I'm thinking I may do a few more little one-shot companion pieces that will fit in with this storyline. Any thoughts?<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Authoress' Notes:** This is the fourth part of this little piece and it just too much fun to write. A big thank you to: **Arichey!** She helped me edit and I needed the help! She's marked as one of my favs and after you read this you should go read her stuff!

**Disclaimer:** Okay so Glee does not belong to me or something would be slightly different. So this is just for entertainment purposes. Enjoy!  
>The songs used are also not mine, they belong to their mentioned singersrecord labels.

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><p><strong>Finding Your Voice: Part Four<strong>

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><p>"Whatcha want?" Sarah picked up with a chuckle as she heard her brother snort on the end of the line.<p>

"Nice way to greet your only brother."

"Sorry. I was studying." She scratched a quick note on a scrap paper and tucked it in her book to keep her place.

Puck arched his eyebrow. "It's almost July. Ain't you done with school?"

"I'm taking an AP course over the summer." She sighed at the beginning of her explanation. "And I'm working on a Glee thing for a competition thing in August."

"A Glee thing in August?" He questioned.

"Yeah, it's a scholarship thing. If your school wins, then you get money for your arts program. We won Nationals so we get three slots automatically. The other schools have to submit vids for auditions. We're gonna use one slot for each category: one solo, one duet and one group number." She explained, getting up from the kitchen table.

"You takin' the solo spot?"

"Ha! I'll leave the solos to Rachel thanks. I'm working on the group number, which I have to choreograph myself with no help from Mr. Schue, and get the music approved, and yada yada more work."

"Are you sure you're the best one to be doing choreography? I mean you can dance, but. . ."

Sarah scoffed, "Well we're kinda out of options." She sighed and explained. "Adrian is our best dancer hands down, but she won some professional competition when she was like four, so she would be considered a professional consultant. I told Mr. Schue that she should help anyway, because that's what the other clubs gonna do and lie about it, but we gotta do the right thing. So they're stuck with me and my Youtube account. Do you know how many clubs sing 'Freak Out?' Seriously, I can hear it in my sleep. I must have watched over 20 hours of glee club video performances."

"Are you sure we're related?"

"I ask myself that all the time." Sarah laughed as she rummaged through the pantry, looking for something to eat. "So what's up?"

"I need ideas for Rachel's birthday present." He grumbled.

"Awe, that's cute. What are you doing for her actual birthday?" She snatched a box of crackers down and opened the lid and grabbed a handful. "Just don't tell me you're doing the dinner and theater show thing," she warned with a mouthful of crackers.

"What's wrong with that? B loves the theater; I mean the whole freakin' world knows that."

"Exactly." Sarah rolled her eyes. "Any psycho stalker could plan that birthday. You need to figure out something better."

"I called you to make this easier not shoot holes in the plans I already worked out." He complained.

"Have you bought the tickets, yet?"

"Her birthdays not 'til the middle of July."

"So you were screwed anyway." Sarah laughed and couldn't keep some of the sarcasm out of her voice. "My dear older brother, any show that Rachel would want to see would be sold out already."

He was cursing at this stupid planning shit that he still wasn't any good at and sighed. "So, what should I do?"

"Why is this so important to you? I mean I know you're dating her and all, but you seem really worked up about this. Spill."

"It's a long story."

"Anything involving Rachel is long-winded. I'm in Lima, Noah, there is still nothing to do here. Besides, Quinn's still at work and Devon is gone for like two months on some lame camping trip with his family."

"Fine."

.:.

_Puck hadn't really given much thought to his birthday, except well, it was his first birthday away from home and all; and everyone would expect him to have a blow out party and get drunk off his ass, but frankly he didn't have time. He was getting ready for finals and studying his fucking ass off. He had promised Maya, one of Rachel's classmates from Julliard, that he would help her with a music project for her final and that was taking more time than he thought it would. He also had work four nights this week, unloading trucks off a loading dock wasn't any fun, but it paid the bills and kept that expensive ass roof over his head. _

_That whole cost of living bullshit had almost been a deal breaker for this whole college in New York thing. The Lima Loser himself had been accepted to NYU Steinhardt, into their undergraduate program for musical composition. The problem was paying for it. He got a small grant, because his mother was poor, but it wasn't much. Sarah had muttered something about website dedicated to giving kids scholarships, for writing essays and shit. He thought; how bad could it be? That was before starting the nearly six-month process. He had written essays until he thought his eyes would bleed and Tina and Artie were nearly unwilling to edit them for him. He hadn't managed to get a full-ride scholarship like some of the other gleeks, but damn-it if he didn't get 27 little scholarships that covered everything but room and board. _

_He looked into the dorms at NYU and nearly choked to death; 14g's for a room? Fuck that noise, was all he could think. But apartments were just as bad. Rachel had called him in the May before he graduated, to ask when she could show him her city, since apparently New York belonged to the diva now. He told Rachel that it might not happen, 'cause he had nowhere to live. She told him not to give up hope just yet. She and Eva, her freshman-year roommate, had acquired an apartment off-campus on the Upper West Side and she would talk to Eva about him staying with them. It was a tiny space, but it offered two small bedrooms and one and half baths. Neither of the girls were willing to give up the space of their own room. They were both only children, just his luck, but he was welcome to the alcove space and he could sleep in the living room. It wasn't ideal, but another split on the $1,600 rent bill had convinced Eva. So after buying a pull-out couch and one small dresser and Rachel being willing to let him stash his nice clothes in her closet, he was living in New York with Rachel Berry. Of course he was living there with next to no privacy and the few times he had managed to hit the town, he had to impress the girl enough to get her to take him home. Not that he ever really ever had time to party, this whole being dedicated to his studies had serious draw backs. But despite all of the frustrations, he was starting to love the city; the only thing that he actually didn't like about New York and living with Rachel was: Markus Carver._

_Markus Carver had literally run into Rachel at a coffee shop exactly a month before Puck had moved to the city. He helped the diva to her feet and apologized profusely, but Rachel still probably would have run in the other direction (her daddies had her watch a video about human trafficking shortly before she moved to New York and chance meetings tended to make her run for the nearest available cop), but he said the one thing that could have stopped her. "You were in the freshman showcase for Julliard, weren't you? God you were amazing like Barbara in Funny Girl." That boy could have asked Rachel to go to Harlem in a paper bag and she would have agreed; instead he bought her another cup of coffee and got her phone number. They had gone out the following night and Markus told her that his cousin attended Julliard and that's how he'd seen her in the showcase. The two were attached at the hip, all 'disgustingly-couplie' as Santana would have described it, until Markus found out about Puck. He told Rachel that he wasn't okay with some random guy living with her. Rachel argued that Noah wasn't 'some random guy;' she known him for years and the decision had already been made._

_The fight had escalated quickly and had ended with Markus leaving angrily and Rachel calling Noah, sobbing. He had felt like shit and told her that he'd find somewhere else to live, maybe Kurt and Blaine would let him crash with them for a bit, but she'd said no. She said that if this new relationship was going to work, that Markus needed to learn to trust her completely. Noah sighed and asked for Markus's phone number, not that he wanted to talk to the guy, but hey, if he laid out what the deal between him and Berry was, maybe the guy would cool off. After talking to Markus on the phone Puck wasn't totally convinced the guy was good enough for Berry, but he didn't seem like a total jack-ass. And Puck had gathered from his call with Rachel that she really liked the guy, so he told Markus what to do to get Berry to forgive him. Puck got a text three hours later from her, "Markus came over with strawberry soy ice cream & we watched FunnyGirl. He's okay with you here. I'm so happy. ^_^"_

_After moving to New York Puck decided that Markus wasn't such a nice guy. He looked okay at first, but he would dig on Rachel subtly. But fuck, Puck noticed when the diva deflated after something Markus said to her. The two men would eye each other without manners when Rachel was gone, but they were civil when she was there. Puck tried to stay out of it as much as possible, but he wasn't blind. He had almost knocked the cocky stockbroker in-training on his ass when he'd insulted a Neil Diamond song, but his mother's panicky phone call about Sarah had diverted the imminent beating. The impromptu trip to Lima had distracted him, for a minute at least._

_Now at the beginning of May, he had three more finals for his core classes, the stupid ones he hated taking, two finals for his music classes, which he liked even though they kicked his ass, and one song that he had to finish writing so he could present it for his advisor and try for a full-ride scholarship. He needed to do well in all the classes, but that song had to be perfect. He had wanted to ask Rachel for help, but Markus had thrown a fit the last time he'd found them practicing together. Puck had walked out of the apartment, again not wanting to use Rachel's boyfriend for a punching bag, but he'd heard Markus' angry voice, "Rachel, music is intimate to you, forgive me if I don't want you singing love songs with your ex." Puck decided that Berry wasn't an option, he wasn't gonna cause her anymore relationship grief._

_Maybe Maya could help him with his project, since he was helping with hers? It couldn't hurt to ask and it certainly helped that Maya was hot and single. He dialed her number and asked if she wanted to come over to his place and practice. She wasn't Rachel, but she had a good voice and she was a cool enough chick. _

_When they had been working for about two hours, Puck called for a break. He grabbed them both a bottle of water and they flipped through channels on the tv. He paused on ESPN and Maya sat up as they played the hockey highlights. _

"_Boyle's a monster of a forward. He'll be awesome in this round of playoffs if he stops chasing his tail around." She commented watching the clip of the 6'7" player._

"_He's a monster period at that size. His record's not that hot, his big advantage is that he shoots from the left." Puck couldn't believe she knew who the player was. "Are you a hockey fan?"_

"_Duh, I'm from Canada they deport you if you don't like flannel and hockey."_

"_I've never seen you in flannel." He teased._

_She smirked and arched her eyebrow. "My underwear is none of your business."_

_The two broke out in laughter and the front door opened and Rachel walked in. Puck called out to her, "Hey, B. How was the callback?"_

_Rachel, who was fighting with her shoe, hadn't noticed Maya, "It went well, but he wouldn't make the announcement until the last girl went and she was just getting there as I left." She spun around and smiled at her classmate. "Hi Maya, what are you doing here?"_

"_I came over to steal Puck to practice for my musical composition final." Maya explained waving the petite girl to come sit with them._

_Rachel crashed into the chair and looked at the television, "Doesn't look like you're getting very far," she teased._

"_Ha ha." Maya rolled her eyes. "We were taking a break. Puck and I are both hockey fans."_

"_I didn't know you liked hockey, Noah."_

_He chuckled, "It's a violent sport, with legal fighting, what's not to like? I'd love to catch a game live sometime."_

_Maya leaned over and touched his arm, "The game starts in like an hour, we could catch it at the bar, then go back to my place to practice some more."_

"_Sounds cool." He nodded, he stood up and stretched. "You down for watching the game with us, Berry?"_

_He had already turned his back on the couch and started for the hallway._

" _Yeah, I could. . ." Rachel started, but quickly corrected herself. "Oh wait, I just remembered that I have to study tonight." Rachel's voice sounded a little unsure, but when Puck tried to see her expression, Maya was hugging her, blocking his view._

_Puck wasn't sure what that was all about, but hockey and beer awaited. "Suit yourself." _

_.:.  
><em>

_Maya was easy to get along with and she knew a shit-ton about hockey and music. But after they got to her place, he could tell that she had more in mind than music. She had climbed on his lap and tried to kiss him, but he had put the brakes on that, fast. Which to be honest, was way easier than he thought it would be. I mean, it had been a while, and Maya was legit hot. He just couldn't afford get distracted and sex had always been a distraction for him. He leveled with her that he just needed to stay focused and she got that. In fact, she just laughed and told him that he better save her a night after finals. She helped him get the song's bridge perfected and helped him with lyrics of the last verse. He promised her a beer, if he survived finals week. _

_Now on the 3rd of May, the day before his song presentation, he was playing it through for the hundredth time and finally felt like he had it right where he wanted it. He heard the door rattle and Rachel's 'professional' voice as she talked on her cell phone. He set his guitar next to the couch as she walked through the door._

"_Yes, I understand. Thank you so much. When should I be there? Of course I'll see you in two weeks." She was fidgeting with her free hand as she finished the conversation and smiled brightly at him. "Thank you so much, sir."_

_Noah might have asked her what the good news was, but Rachel had launched herself at him, hugging him tightly and laughing with sheer delight. There was only thing that could possibly make her this happy. "You got the part, huh?"_

_She shook her head and corrected his assumption, "No. I'm the understudy to the lead! My first actual audition and I get a part in the production. I'll probably get to do at least one of the shows, as the lead!" She squealed._

_He squeezed her a little tighter and spun them around; her excitement could be really contagious sometimes. "That's awesome, B. You'll end up stealing the show."_

_Rachel was still giggling when her phone rang. He let her down and she answered it quickly, "Hi Markus, you're never going to believe it. I got the understudy to Kate! Well, yeah, but the actress is going to want a break at some point." Her body language started to change: her shoulders dipped slightly and her smile dimmed. "The director really liked me; he said my audition was one of the best he's ever seen. I know I didn't actually get the part, but I am a part of the show." Her smile was nearly gone now and she moved towards the kitchen and retrieved a bottle of water from the fridge. "Yes, I suppose, you're right. How was work? I guess I could meet you downtown for drinks, but I was going to go over. . ." She bit her lower lip and looked at the script in her hands. "…something for class. Well, I guess if you really want me there. Is Daniel going to be there? No, he's just helping me with something. Okay I'll see you there." Rachel set her phone on the counter and guzzled the bottle down. _

"_You okay, B?" Puck asked, feeling pretty shitty about just standing there listening, instead of chucking Rachel's phone off the balcony._

"_Yeah." She forced a smile as she looked at him. "He's right you know, it's just an understudy thing, not a real part." Her eyes were already glistening with unfallen tears._

_He marched into the kitchen and grabbed the back of her neck forcing their foreheads together and drawing a startled gasp from her, "Don't you ever let him sell you short again, you hear me?" His voice had lowered to a near growl. He traced the line of her face with his thumb and his voice and expression softened. "You are destined for Broadway, Baby. He's a loser if he can't see that."_

"_Noah." She was staring into his eyes and she was still breathing a little heavy._

"_I mean it, Rachel. Don't let him." Puck moved away from her quickly. He realized that he was dangerously close to being the cause of a boyfriend problem again. She deserved better. "Let's go celebrate. We'll call Eva and Maya and anyone else you want."_

_She shook her head. "I told Markus that I'd meet him downtown." She looked unsteady and rubbed her arms like she was cold. "I have to get ready." She started down the hall towards her room._

"_Call your dads." He called out and she looked back at him. "You know they'll be as excited as you are. Markus just don't get it."_

"_Thank you, Noah." _

.:.

"Wait a minute." Sarah interrupted. "I thought she actually got that part? That's what you guys told us at Nationals."

"She ended up with the part. But she was the understudy first. The director caught her singing on stage one night after rehearsal and worked her in the lead." Puck explained.

"How did he get rid of the other actress?"

"Don't know; don't care."

Sarah sighed. "Okay, so your finals finished on May 3rd, except your song which you presented the 4th, and your birthday is on May 7th and Nationals was June 10th this year. . ."

"Are you writing all these dates down or something?" He questioned.

She huffed, "I'm trying to keep score. Now how did she go from dating that ass-hole to dating you in less than a month; and what the f' does it have to do with her birthday?"

"You want me to finish explaining or not?"

"Yeah continue," She muttered under her breath, "Mr. Berry."

"I heard that."

.:.

_On May 5th, Puck was staring at the letter in hands in disbelief. He was so stunned at the piece of paper, which he had picked up from his campus mailbox earlier, he closed it and then re-opened it, certain that the words would magically change. He couldn't have done that well. Guys like him didn't get to succeed, and yet. . . _

_He had performed his original song for a panel of professors in a very quiet room with good acoustics. They hadn't clapped when he finished; they just asked him to remain there for a moment, while they scratched out their notes. The woman on the end of the panel, Dr. Verettie, she was the professor in his classical composition class and she didn't appreciate his playing style all the time, cleared her throat and retrieved a manila folder from a briefcase at her feet. _

_She opened the file and asked him, "Mr. Puckerman, do you remember the essay that you wrote to obtain your admission here? How you were asked to write about a song that reflected a part of your life?"_

_He nodded and swallowed. He would never forget writing that essay. He originally was going to write it about "__**Beth**__" by Kiss, but Artie at the last moment offered a quiet warning. "Dude, they might make you sing it. Do you really want to sing it for a bunch of professors?" Puck had taken his advice to heart, but he knew that Beth's birth had been the defining moment in his life; it changed him completely. He had written the essay on "__**Zoe Jane**__" by Staind. In fact, one of his musical submissions to get into this college was to re-work a current song. He had chosen to reprise the Staind song, but he changed part of the point of view to 'Zoe' and had Sarah sing it with him._

"_I was impressed by your re-write of this song. You seem to have a lot of emotion in your writing." Dr. Verettie commented. "Do you think you could sing the original version of the song for us today?"_

_He managed another nod and started to play the chords. He sang low and tried to keep his voice even. As he played the last chord, he dropped his head and tried to compose himself. _

"_How old is she?" The professor asked._

"_She's four." He answered, not able to raise his head just yet._

"_Never forget how you feel about her. She's your inspiration. I can hear her in what you write and how you play." She admonished before clearing her throat, "You are excused."_

_He looked back down at the piece of paper in his hands. "Details of Comprehensive Scholarship." He had to read the word 'comprehensive' several times, not because he didn't understand the word, but because he did. The door on the apartment turned and Eva and Rachel walked in from their morning run. He had been at work all night and had grabbed his campus mail on his way home. _

"_Still up, Puckerman?" Eva greeted, not noticing his blank expression or the paper clutched in his hand. "I hope you didn't need to shower, 'cause I beat her around the last corner, so I got first dibs." The girl disappeared down the hall._

_Rachel, on the other hand, was staring at Noah, concerned. "Are you alright?"_

_He didn't have any sensible words, so he just thrust the letter towards her. "Results from the song showcase. I think, I'm reading it wrong, 'cause there's no way. .."_

_Her eyes were moving back and forth absorbing the information in front of her. "Noah." Her eyes filled with tears and she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him. "You did it. A full scholarship! Congratulations!"_

"_Really? That's really what it says, Rachel?" His voice wavered._

"_It really does." She assured him. "I'm so proud of you. I can't wait to hear your song."_

_He suddenly started laughing and squeezed her tightly. "God damn. I fucking did it!" He whooped and swung her around the apartment, like he had when he found about her Kate-part. "No one's ever gonna call me a loser again." He lowered her feet back to the floor and loosened his grip on her waist._

"_You were never a loser." Her cheek brushed against his as he set her back down and he thought heard the little hitch in her breath._

_He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and waggled his eyebrows, "You know this means I get to __**really**__ celebrate on my birthday."_

_She pushed his hand away. "What were you planning exactly?"_

"_Not sure yet." He straightened up and moved away from her, accepting his letter as she handed it back. "I'll probably get good and drunk, maybe catch the Rangers game with Maya."_

"_Hold that thought." Rachel held up a finger and retrieved her purse from the counter. She reached inside, pulled out a small envelope, and handed it to him with a big smile on her face. "Happy Birthday, Noah. It's a little early, but I think you'll like it."_

"_Envelopes and I are real good terms today. I'm sure this is Berry-tastic." He teased tearing open the envelope, expecting to see a gift certificate for his favorite restaurant; instead he pulled out a pair of tickets. He glanced at them for a half-second, before realizing that they were New York Ranger tickets. "Holy shit, Rachel!" He whooped. "You got me tickets to a game? These must've cost a fortune. These are tickets to Friday's play-off game!" He knew he sounded like an idiot, but he didn't really care. He hugged her again. "You've got to come with me."_

_And that was when Markus walked into the apartment._

.:.

"So that's what the big deal is?" Sarah questioned. "She bought you hockey tickets?"

"Expensive hockey tickets and no," he corrected. "One of Markus' buddies has season tickets and he let her have the pair for the game in exchange for her singing at his cousin's wedding. But that's not the point."

"So what is the point? 'Cause if you're gonna say that this Markus guy broke up with her over you; don't expect me to be all: oh god you so owe her for ruining a relationship. That guy was an ass, you totally did her a favor. Besides, you two looked happy at Nationals, so no harm no foul."

"But this is the second time I screwed things up for her."

"Oh don't give me that noise." She scoffed. "Hudson wasn't such a catch in the first place and in the second place, um, she totally started that mess, if I recall. So did you guys have too much fun at the game and that's what ruined this obviously healthy relationship?"

"I didn't even take her with me. He threw a fit and she was trying to make it better, so I called Blaine up and we went to the game."

"And you didn't take Maya, 'cause you've been hung-up on Rachel since her senior year."

He cleared his throat, "Is the whole world keeping score?"

"Whatcha mean?"

"Blaine said the same freakin' thing at the game."

Sarah laughed out loud. "Yeah, your original club members had a pool going. Not sure who won, though. I'll have to ask Quinn." She paused and asked a little more seriously, "So if that didn't break them up, what did?"

"She broke it off with him the night I was at the game. Blaine and I went and grabbed a couple of beers after the game, so it was late when I got home, but she was still up."

.:.

_Puck walked into the dark apartment and carefully slipped off his boots at the door. He noticed that the television was on and "Wizard of Oz" was playing very quietly. Rachel was curled up next to the arm of the couch with her red, "McKinley High New Directions" blanket wrapped around her. The box of tissues was resting on the arm and a trash can was next to the couch. He could tell she wasn't exactly watching the movie and her eyes were bloodshot. He sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his side._

"_How was the game?" She asked, voice wavering. "Did you have a good birthday?"_

_He fought the urge to roll his eyes. Only his Rachel (Wait. . . __**his**__ Rachel? Focus; think about that psycho shit slip later) would ask about his night, when she obviously felt this bad. "I think, it was easily, the best one I've ever had."He kissed the top of her head and squeezed her tightly._

"_I made you peanut butter cookies, and pumpkin muffins and a chocolate cake." She sniffled. _

"_With all the baked goods on that list, I don't suppose that it went well with Markus."_

_She wrapped her arm around him and rested her head against his chest. "I told him that I couldn't be with someone who didn't trust me. And that I was tired of him making me feel small to make himself feel bigger."She drew in a shaky breath. "I should have gone with you."_

"_Yeah there was a fight and everything. Classic hockey rivalries at their finest." He laughed, desperate to lighten the mood of the living room._

_She was quiet, never a great sign, and her breath was still all hitchy. She was going to start crying again, it was just a matter of time. "I ate one of your cookies." She admitted quietly._

"_That's cool, you made them." He couldn't figure out why that was anything to worry about._

"_I made them with milk, real milk."And with that said; she started to bawl about the poor babies cows and how their mother's milk was taken away from them._

_He let her sob, not being so dense that he didn't know that this totally wasn't about the milk thing. After a while he patted her back, "Babe, hey it's okay I promise. The cows ain't gonna care. I'm sure you get a few mulligans in this vegan thing." She kept sobbing and he persisted trying to get her attention again. "Berry, come on now." His voice lowered in pitch, trying again to get through to. Finally he grabbed her face and lowered his so they were on the same level. "Rachel." Her eyes locked with his, tears still sliding down her cheeks. "Rachel, he ain't worth all this and you're better off without that asshole." She opened her mouth and he cut her off. "I mean it, B."_

"_You always call me that." She chuckled softly, "B for Berry, right?" She wanted to stop crying, to make the mood in the room lighter, easier to deal with. She tried to smile and wiped the tears away from under her eyes. She would have lowered her hands to her lap, but Noah caught them in his._

"_No," He shook his head. "Rachel, B is for Broadway, always has been."_

"_You called me that my senior year."_

_He smiled at her, "Sure did. I knew where you were goin'. Glad I ended up here with ya. I gotta swipe somethin' outta your closet; I'm gonna sell it on e-bay when you're famous. No matter what happens in my life, I'll always get to say that I was the famous Rachel Berry's roommate." He cleared his throat, "That I knew her when she was struggling to make ends meet and that I used to sing with her. Just don't forget us little guys, when your name is up in lights."_

"_Noah." She swallowed. "I could never forget you. You will always be my friend. I just wish sometimes that we had been more. . ." She might have finished her statement with, 'more than friends,' but she didn't have a chance to._

_Noah had captured her lips in a kiss. His hand instantly moved to the back of her head, pulling her closer._

.:.

"Ew! I cannot know this!" Sarah hollered in his ear. "I don't wanna know about you and Rachel getting down."

He couldn't help but laugh at his younger sister's theatrics. "You got way too much imagination for a kid your age."

"Can't help it. We've got thin walls." She shuddered at a memory. "So okay I get it now. You feel rotten about her being all alone and weepy, cry-y on your birthday and now you want to do something spectacular. Is her show still gonna be running?"

"No. Her birthday is the 12th, the show ends its run on the 5th." He sighed. "I mean it has got to be something awesome."

"I'll do some thinking, but yeah, we're gonna have to pull out all the stops to impress daddies' princess."

"She's not like that."

"Ha! She's a diva and you love it. Rachel is good old fashioned Jewish bonkers at its best." Sarah snorted. "Let me do some research on my end and me and Google will send you on a field trip or two."

"Great."

.:.

Rachel Berry sat in a cab with her hand tightly enclosed in Noah's, with a blindfold blocking her vision. The curiosity was killing her; she was dying to know where he was taking her for her birthday dinner, especially since it was just going to be them. She couldn't remember having a better birthday in her life.

Noah had actually managed to wake up before her and he and Eva were waiting in the kitchen for her, with the vegan friendly muffins that Eva had bought as a birthday present for her. She might have gone for her work-out, but Eva shook her head and answered the knock that rang out against their door. Kurt and Blaine entered the apartment all smiles, hugs, and birthday wishes. Kurt informed her that they were going for a spa day today and she didn't get to say no. Blaine handed her a card with a gift certificate to said spa and quickly ducked into the living room. Kurt was busy showing her a menu of treatments that they could pick from, but Rachel could sense that her friends were up to something.

"It's up Kurt, get her in here." Blaine called out.

"Into the chair you go girl." Kurt forced Rachel into the office chair from her room, which Eva must have retrieved. "Now close your eyes."

She complied and as they wheeled her the short distance to the desk in the living room, where Puck's laptop resided she thought she could hear familiar voices chatting. It was as if there were over a dozen people suddenly in her living room and she was still in her pajamas.

"Leroy, she's wearing the outfit we bought her for her last birthday."

Rachel's eyes flew up at her Dad's voice and stared in disbelief at what she was seeing.

Her Daddy confirmed with a, "She looks adorable in it too. Happy birthday, Star." He smiled at her.

"Oh yes, Happy birthday, princess."

Rachel's eyes were filling with tears; on the laptop's screen there were live images of all of her friends from Glee, Noah's sister Sarah with Quinn, and her daddies. "What is . . .?" She started to ask dumbfounded.

"It's your damn birthday, Berry. Puckerman made us get up at the crack of dawn to sing to you on his web call thing." Santana looked like she hadn't actually been to bed from the previous night; she and Brittney both had glitter all over their faces.

The whole group sang her 'happy birthday' and gave her individual wishes, some of which she wished her daddies hadn't heard, but she was still overwhelmed with joy. Mercedes had stayed on the call little longer than the others and they had caught up a bit, before Kurt whisked her out the door.

The cab started to slow and she smoothed her black dress out, just in case. Her outfit for the night, a classic little black dress, had been laid out for her by Noah, but he assured her that his sister and Quinn had gotten the final say for style reasons. Her heels were brand new, faux Louis Vuitton shoes that were black with gold buckles, and the 'signature' red underbelly; they had been a gift from Maya. Noah opened the door of the cab and took Rachel's hand to help her out of the cab.

He moved behind her and started to untie the blindfold. "You ready?"

"Yes." She was happy and excited, it was all over her body language, she couldn't be still and her voice was bubbly. Her hand moved to the plain gold chain around her neck, which Noah had given her before they left, promising that her birthday present would go with it.

"Okay this is the best strip joint in New York. . ." He teased.

"Noah!" She yelped and swatted at him.

Puck chuckled and wrapped one arm around her waist. He kissed the side of her head, before flipping the blindfold away. "Surprise." He whispered.

Rachel read the sign on the restaurant and squealed in delight. "Don't Tell Mama," was a combination cabaret bar and piano bar, either way there was always live music. "Noah, this is. . ."

"They offer vegan dishes, I already checked and we are going to be in one of the piano rooms." He was still whispering to her, his low voice making all the sounds of New York disappear for a moment. He turned her chin up and leaned down, giving her a slow easy kiss. "Come on, we've got reservations and they ain't easy to get on a Saturday."

She gave him her million-watt smile and took his arm as he led her into the restaurant. They were seated right next to the stage and Rachel squeezed his hand tightly beneath the table. After ordering their meal, Noah lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers. "I'll be right back, okay?"

Rachel nodded and looked around at her surroundings. This place was amazing. The atmosphere was so lively and friendly; they would mostly definitely be coming back here again.

"Miss Berry?" The waiter cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Yes?" She questioned, momentarily wondering where Noah had gotten to.

"I was instructed by your date, to give you this." The man handed her a simple flat black box. "He said you should open it right away."

Rachel was confused, but opened it anyway. There was note covering the piece of jewelry in the box. She brushed her finger over the six-pointed start with a smile on her face, but resisted the urge to really look at it, until she read the note. It was in Noah's handwriting, but still legible.

"Rachel, this is a star for the world to see, 'cause hell, you and I already know that you are one. Don't you ever doubt it either. If you already looked at and it and you are wondering why it says 'Kate,' no I didn't buy it second hand or anything. It has 'Kate' engraved on the inside of one of the arms of the star, because it is your first role of many. I'm sure I'll have to buy you more stars, so we can remember every role you ever have. 'Cause you are my Broadway Baby. Don't forget it. Happy Birthday, B."

She could feel the tears running down her cheeks, as she tried to pat them away quickly with a napkin. She looked closely at the star, seeing the 'Kate' made her heart nearly leap out of her chest. She could hear the piano start an intro to a song that she thought she recognized. She did recognize it, it was Billy Joel's "She's Got a Way" and she couldn't believe that Noah got the piano player to play it for them. Only that boy would insist on a song by Jewish artist, but where was he?"

"She's got a way, about her." Noah's voice broken into her thoughts and she stared up at him on stage as he sang the classic. He was singing it to her and whole restaurant knew it. When he finished he bowed to the crowd, who continued to hoot and holler as he stole a kiss from her.

"Happy Birthday, Rachel."

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading. Please review. ^_^<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Authoress' Notes: Okay so I finally finished this part of this tale. I really like how it came out. I hope you all do as well.**

**Thank you as always to Arichey as always my wonderful Beta! You rock.**

**There is a singing section in this one and in case it isn't clear:**

Sarah: **Singing**

Group: _Singing_

JJ and Sarah: _**Singing**_

**Disclaimer: Glee belongs to Fox, Ryan Murphy, etc. . . I make no profit here. The song used is Jessie J's and it belongs to her and her record label.**

**Finding Your Voice: Part Five**

"It's step in and down, then we start the drops - there are three drops. Bam, bam, bam; then we start going back up. We start the hand motions next: one fist clenched about hip level, then pull it up and center on the chest, and the finally up in the air over our head. It's gotta be strong, triumphant." Sarah was talking to JJ in her room as they ran through the steps to the group number.

"Okay, so we break apart then come back together," the dark-skinned girl confirmed.

"Yeah you go right and I go left." Sarah moved her shoulders back and forth.

"Shouldn't that be the other way around?" JJ questioned. "I mean, if you're there and I'm here, it should be me left and you right."

Sarah bit her lip and looked from where she was standing to where JJ was. "Damn. You're right."

"My right or your right?"

"No, I mean you're _correct_. You left and me right; that should pull us back together."

JJ started laughing, "Okay, Lil P, then we do the hand slide to hand off the lead vocals in the chorus."

"Don't call me that." Sarah stuck her tongue out. "It's bad enough all the football gleeks call me that."

"Devon doesn't call you that, _Baby girl._" She giggled as Sarah gave her a little shove, making her lose a bit of her balance. "Okay I give! Don't break my legs; the competition is day after tomorrow. So one more time with the reveal turns."

Sarah held up her hand. "You sure this is okay? I mean, you're already doing the duet with Jared."

"It's cool. I don't mind the extra time on stage. Besides, your concept is great and the choreography isn't too hard."

"Do you think it's too simple?"

"No, for godsakes do not start freaking out again." JJ shook her head and moved Sarah back into position. "It works and what's gonna sell this is way we sing it. You know that. Now again so I make sure we don't collide on stage."

Sarah rolled her eyes, but sincerely regarded her friend. "Yeah, thanks again. I still can't believe Michelle sprained her ankle."

"I know it sucks, 'cept I'm probably a better dancer than she is." JJ winked and clapped her hands to start their rhythm.

The two stepped apart, then back together, performed the drops and got back up; they slid their hands together and Sarah spun JJ around and motioned to her back. JJ turned back to face front and they repeated the steps, until the end when she spun Sarah.

"Okay, girl, I get this whole focus on the moves thing, but wouldn't it be easier with the actual song playing?" JJ put her hands on the hips.

Sarah looked toward the hallway and shook her head. "Can't. Not while _she's_ in the house."

"I don't see. . ." JJ started to argue, but Sarah cut her off sharply.

"I'm not singing it with her in earshot." She noticed JJ's confused expression and continued. "I'll explain later. If I go catch a shower; can you braid my hair? I need it tight to my head."

"Sure."

"Awesome. I'll be out in like five." Sarah rushed out the door and nearly collided with Rachel Berry, who was standing in the hallway. "Whoa. How long have you been there?"

Rachel blinked at Sarah's defensive tone and looked up at the girl. Sarah had been about her height at Nationals, but she had grown almost four inches since then and now stood almost 5'8". "I just came up here to ask what kind of muffins you like. I didn't really hear anything, but I don't want you to be nervous about me hearing you sing. There is nothing wrong with your voice and I could help. . ."

"I don't need your help." Sarah snapped. "Just leave it alone." The fifteen-year-old slammed the bathroom door closed after retreating inside.

Rachel stood there stunned for a moment before JJ cleared her throat. "I like banana," she offered meekly and managed to get a small nod from Rachel before the diva rushed down the stairs.

.:.

Rachel lay awake staring at the ceiling as she waited for Puck to come back from taking his shower. She had finished baking the muffins and gone straight to bed after calling her daddies. She and Noah had a very early start tomorrow and she wanted to at least try to sleep. Mrs. Puckerman was still at work in Cincinnati, and so she and Noah were staying here with Sarah and her friend JJ, who ironically had the last name of Jones though she was no relation to Mercedes, but could belt out the high notes just like her dear friend.

What she didn't understand was why Sarah was so upset with her. They had never spent extensive time together, but Noah's sister had never seemed un-fond of her. Her stomach was in knots all over again. She just didn't understand where the animosity had come from. Sarah's angry voice echoed in her head, "Not while _she's_ in the house." Rachel bit her lip and tried to think of something else.

"I mean it, lights out. I'm hauling my ass outta bed at 3:30 and if you ain't ready to leave by quarter to 4; I'm leavin' ya." Puck called out a warning to the younger girls as he entered the room, closing the door behind him. He smiled at Rachel laying in one of his shirts with, no-doubt, a pair of short-shorts under it. He flopped behind her on the bed and pulled her close. "I might need that shirt back."

"Oh I'm sorry, Noah. You said to just grab one. If you wanted this one I can get another one." She rambled nervously, starting to scramble off the bed, but he held her tightly.

"B, I'm messin' wit ya." He assured her, before giving her a smirk, "I was just hoping to get you out of it."

She gave him a half-hearted smack on the chest. "Not with your sister in the next room. That's a terrible example to set."

"Nothin' she ain't heard before."

Rachel was quiet for another moment, before nearly whispering. "I think I need some water."

His eyebrow arched. "Are you not okay with staying here? 'Cause I can take you back to your dads' and pick you up in the morning."

She shook her head. "I'm okay, really. Just thirsty." She crossed the hall and filled a disposable cup with water and sipped it quietly, listening to the hushed whispers of Sarah and JJ. She didn't want to feel so insecure about this, but she wanted so badly to get along with Noah's family. She came back into the room and found Noah setting the alarm on his phone.

He looked up at her and sighed. "You know we're only going to be home for ten days; you sure you wanna spend this weekend at this thing? We aren't gonna get back 'til way late on Saturday. I mean, you don't have to go."

"I'll be able to spend time with my daddies on Sunday when we're getting things ready for the barbeque. They're so excited to see your mother; and aren't you excited to meet Devon's family?"

"No, no I'm not." He huffed. "I don't like that she has boyfriend at this age."

"You had a girlfriend when you were her age." Rachel pointed out.

He scoffed, and changed the subject. "So isn't that gonna be a lot of work on Sunday? Especially with you being gone the whole rest of the weekend." He noticed the subtle change in her expression, the worry that she wasn't wanted flashing in her eyes. "Hey," He cupped her face in his hands. "I want you to be there, believe me. But you only came home once last year and I know you miss your dads. I just don't want you running yourself ragged." He kissed her softly before tangling his fingers in her hair. "I like you here, right here, with me." He whispered in her ear.

"Noah, you don't need to worry about me." She smiled as she pulled away from him a bit. "We'll order most of it in; it'll be more making it look nice. Besides, it's important to support the arts in whatever form they are in. And I'd like to be able to spend some time with Sarah. I really don't think she likes me very much."

Puck rolled his eyes, unable to help it. "B, she likes you just fine. If she didn't she would tell me."

"She's so quiet around me though." Rachel didn't want to tell him what she heard, afraid she might start a fight between the siblings.

"She's not into girls so much. She prefers to hang with the boys."

"But JJ. . ." She started to argue, while pulling at the t-shirt she was wearing, but Puck cut her off.

"JJ is new; never even heard her name until Quinn called me yesterday to make sure it was cool if she crashed here."

"Is Quinn coming?"

He sighed, flopping against the pillows and pulling her back close. "Yeah, she's gonna meet us at the school with Schue and the rest of the club that's going." He kissed the side of her head. "Is that gonna be okay?"

"Of course. Quinn and Sarah are close; I want a good support system for her."

.:.

It was still very dark when Puck drove into McKinley High's parking lot in Rachel's little Prius. JJ was already asleep again in the back seat and Sarah was sipping on her mug of coffee. Rachel was holding his mug of coffee, trying to draw the heat from it. Puck parked next to Matthew Parks's truck and he, Sarah and Rachel climbed out and paced over to where the rest of the group was.

The girls were huddled together and the boys were more awake than Rachel thought a bunch of teenagers would be at this early hour.

A taller blond boy grabbed Sarah's hand and jerked her towards him. "There's lil P!" He bumped his forehead against hers.

She pushed back against him with just as much attitude. "Matty, don't call me that."

He stepped back and patted her head. "You got taller. Gonna have to start calling you medium P."

"F' you." Sarah growled and glared up at the blonde quarterback. "You could call me _Sarah_ since it's my name."

"Naw, that's boring." He laughed and offered a hand to Puck. "'Sup man. How's the big apple?"

Puck shook Matt's hand, "It's good. How's the team lookin' this year?"

"Not bad. Finally got another decent receiver, so coach is pretty happy."

"Hi, Puck, Rachel. Sarah, I thought JJ was coming with you," Mr. Schue questioned at the end of his greeting.

"Sleeping in the backseat." Sarah pointed to the car, before asking, "Do you have pics of Melody?"

"I do." He pulled out his phone and Rachel moved closer to Sarah so she could see too.

"She's beautiful." Rachel cooed looking at the picture of the infant. "When was she born?"

"Melody Joy was born July 13th, she was 7lbs and Emma nearly broke my finger." Will shook his head as Puck snickered.

Matt, who was talking to another boy that Rachel didn't recognize, pointed to the black car pulling in the lot. "Beckers are here."

Sarah, who was trying to look casual about walking to the car, was smiling shyly as the driver climbed out. Devon on the other hand was not being shy and might have grabbed the girl, but Jared grabbed her first.

"Hey Sarah, how's my favorite girl?" Jared teased keeping the girl in a tight hug.

"Annoyed that you won't let me near my boy." Sarah squirmed, trying to get away.

"Jared." Came the one word warning from the older twin and Jared rolled his eyes as he let the younger Puckerman go. Sarah launched herself into Devon's arms and he spun her around in the hug. He was whispering something to her and she blushed. All Rachel could make out was a very distinct, "There's my baby-girl."

Puck, who was standing next to Rachel, cleared his throat very loudly.

"Kill-joy." Sarah stuck out her tongue and might have continued with more, but headlights caught her attention. "Clifford!" She laughed.

"Who's Clifford?" Puck asked.

Devon explained, "Its Mrs. Fabray's van. She musta let Quinn borrow it."

Sarah was hugging Quinn already and the two started toward the group, talking quietly.

"So how was the camping?" Puck asked his sister's boyfriend (_god that just sounded so wrong_).

"Camping?" Devon made a face at Sarah. "Sare!"

"What?" She arched an eyebrow.

"Why are ya tellin' people I was camping? I was re-buildin' houses in New Orleans. God, woman, don't you listen?"

"Most of the time." Sarah rolled her eyes.

Devon reached out and hugged Quinn. "Good to see you, Quinn."

"You too." She smiled, "How's your father?"

"Good, it was just a long drive back yesterday." Devon wrapped his arm around Sarah's waist. "But I had to be here to support Jared and my girl."

Puck shot Devon a warning look before asking Quinn, "You know the Beckers?"

"They go to my church." She answered and walked up to Mr. Schue. "I have all the costumes and props in my van."

He nodded, "Thanks for helping, Quinn."

Mr. Schue was going over information for the next two days with the group and while Rachel was paying attention to what he was saying, she was watching Noah and Sarah interact.

Devon's arm was still around Sarah's waist and Puck tapped the boy on the shoulder and gave him another 'disapproving brother' look. Devon removed his arm, but Sarah glared at Noah with the 'oh yeah?' look she had seen her boyfriend give authority figures dozens of times and put her hand in Devon's back pocket. Devon jumped and removed Sarah's hand from his pocket and held it in his own, just to keep the girl from getting in any more trouble.

"Okay guys the solo and duet competitions are today and group is tomorrow. We only get 45 minutes of practice time for the lighting and music cues; I'll get the schedule for that once we check in. Quinn, I'm putting you in charge of making sure the dvds get to the judges." Will cleared his throat and continued, "All right guys, let's split up into the different vehicles. Drivers, I've got the address for the hotel. We'll stops three times along the way, and the check-in time is 11am in Evansville."

The students started splitting up, but Sarah was still talking to Quinn. Sarah made a face, then looked at her brother, "Noah, can you drive? Quinn had to close at work last night and she needs to get some sleep. I can ride with Rachel."

Puck might have argued, but Rachel cut him off. "He'd be happy to." She smiled and whispered to him, "This'll give me a chance to talk to her."

He rolled his eyes but conceded, "Have fun."

.:.

They had been driving for a little over an hour when Rachel heard Sarah sigh and set down her phone in her lap. Rachel glanced in the rearview mirror at the three sleeping girls in the backseat, then back at Sarah.

"I'm surprised that you didn't want to ride with Devon." Rachel dared to break the silence.

Sarah pulled out the single ear-bud she had in and shrugged. "He and Jared have been apart most of the summer and they needed to catch up." She sipped her coffee and muttered quietly, "Besides, I don't wanna be all clingy; clingy girls don't get kept."

Rachel looked at the younger girl, who for the first time looked insecure. She cleared her throat, "So Noah hasn't told me too much about this competition. Who's hosting it, the show choir association?"

Sarah shook her head. "Naw, it's kinda a scam."

"What do you mean?"

"It's just being hosted by a record label and I think they're using this as a talent search. I researched the sponsors, 'cause Mr. Schue wanted us to sing original songs at first and I didn't want some pop star ruining another song like they did with '_Get it Right_.'

"Well it didn't turn out. . ."

"She slaughtered it." Sarah huffed. "And you shoulda got some of the money for the royalties. That was a bunch of bull."

"I was just proud to have my name out there." Rachel offered, before asking another question. "I thought Noah said something about monetary prizes for the winner, is that accurate?"

"Oh yeah. But it's winners, plural. It's a 5g. . . I mean a five thousand dollar check for the winner of each section – the solo, the duet and the group." Sarah ran her finger down the window. "If we manage to win one then it should pay for our competitions this year."

"Are the rules the same?"

"Not really. I mean we had to get approval and shit for the songs, but we can be more creative. Theatrical, I guess you could say. We can use actual props and different costumes. There is even one prize for the most creative choreography. That's what I'm really hoping . . .Oh god, change the station, like five minutes ago!" Apparently Sarah could hear the radio loud and clear, even though Rachel barely noticed it.

Rachel was startled by the outburst and quickly hit the scan button on the radio of her car. "I thought you and Noah both liked Hinder."

"We do. But one: that was Buckcherry and two: I can't listen to that song, period. It was so Noah's sex song from when he dated Santana. He used to crank it up loud when they were..."

Rachel cut Sarah off, waving her hand defensively, "I get the idea."

It was quiet in the car except for Kelly Clarkston's voice singing '_Don'__t You Wanna__ to Stay_.'

Sarah finally looked at Rachel out of the corner of her eye, "So do you guys have a sex song, yet?"

Rachel, who had dared to take a sip of her orange juice, nearly choked on it, "Sarah, that's not really appropriate."

Sarah shrugged, "Sorry." She took a drink, then commented, still eyeing Rachel, "Devon and I like '_You Shook Me All Night Long'_ by ACDC. What can I say? I've got a thing for classic rock when we're. . ."

Rachel slammed on the brakes and stared at the fifteen-year-old, horrified by her admission. "Sarah, you. ... Um..."

Sarah was smirking as she turned to face the older girl. "I totally got you, Rach." She started laughing, "You shoulda seen your face."

Rachel felt a little silly as she re-accelerated the car and grumbled her reply, "You're lucky I love your brother. 'Cause I sent a harmless girl to crack-house once and I could very easily forget you somewhere."

Sarah was still chuckling under breath, "Whateves."

'_Just a Kiss'_ by Lady Antebellum was playing on the radio and the two were quiet for a spell. As the second chorus started; Sarah snapped her fingers. "It's totally _'Need You Now'_ isn't it?"

"You are riding with Quinn on the way home." Rachel sighed, before daring to ask another question of the younger girl. "Sarah, about last night, I don't want you to worry about me hearing your performance. I'm here to support you, so if you need any pointers. . ."

"I don't." Sarah's eyes instantly narrowed and she put her ear buds back in. "All I need is to focus."

.:.

Rachel sat on the sidewalk at the edge of the hotel's parking lot staring out into space. She was rolling the 32oz bottle of water back and forth with her tennis-shoe, when Noah lazily sat down behind her, one leg on either side of her.

She fed her fingers through his and crossed his arms over her own chest; then she sighed and leaned her head back against his chest. "Did you get your mother settled in alright?"

"Yeah." He gave her a quick squeeze. "She's pretty psyched about seeing Sarah tomorrow."

Rachel smiled up at him, "I'm glad she could make it."

"So, whatcha up to out here, B?"

She shrugged and grabbed her bottle, but he plucked it away. "Noah."

"Rachel." He mimicked the tone she just used on him, but handed the water back. "You were so quiet today." His tone was gentle as he prodded, "That's not like you; what's going on?"

"It's nothing." Her voice was quiet.

He pressed his lips to her ear, "You wanna hear something really scary?"

"Do I?"

He chuckled, "I had this moment this morning in the car with Quinn, where I fell in love with her just a bit."

Her whole body tensed in his arms. "You're going to have to give me a little more explanation for that."

"Sarah asked Quinn how old she needed to be to have sex." He rubbed her arms and sighed. "Do you how bad of an example I set? I mean she probably think she has to have sex to keep a guy."

"She did say something about trying not to be clingy." Rachel offered, before asking, "What did Quinn tell her?"

"Q just reminded her that she was virgin when we did it. That it only takes once to get pregnant, even with protection." The last part was stated very quietly.

"She lied." Rachel looked up at him wide-eyed.

Noah kissed her softly, "Yeah, I kinda loved her for a minute for it."

"I guess I can forgive you for that." She kissed him back, before looking a little sad. "I'm glad Sarah has someone in her life that she trusts to talk about things like that."

Her expression worried him, but he knew whatever was going on, she wasn't ready to talk about it yet. "So what do you think about this dog and pony show?"

"I liked the introductions that played before the competitors sang. I mean, I liked hearing why they picked the songs they picked. It was a nice touch." She was still so reserved, almost editorial.

He had to control his smirk as he thought of the perfect way to draw her back out of her shell. "You think they got a shot?"

"Um. . .JJ is amazing, she has real stage presence. She and Jared picked a wonderful song and really sang it so well, I think they definitely deserve to win. But Matt's solo. . ."She bit her lip for just a moment before continuing, "he sang it well, but he was slightly flat and to be completely honest the girl from Ann Arbor was much better. I mean did you hear that high C she hit? I mean. . ."

Puck kissed her temple, "There's my girl."

"Huh?"

"Well. . ." A car door slammed closed, but the couple couldn't see who the occupants were because Rachel's car was in the way.

"Girls, head up to the room and lay anything out that you need me to stitch-up," Quinn's voice ordered, as several groans were heard. "I know, you're all tired, but Sarah wanted to run through it a few more times in the room."

"Quinn, do you think she's gonna be . . .um calmer than she was at the theater?" One of the girls asked.

"Yeah, she was going nuts," another voice confirmed. "I'm kinda hoping they take a detour on the way back here."

"Girls, I know it was a bad practice, but you're doing great." Quinn encouraged. "Sarah's just. . ."

"Crazy. I mean did you hear her and Devon going at it? She's. . ." A girl who sounded like she could have given the old Quinn a run for her money snapped.

"Stressed." Quinn cut her off, "This is really important to Sarah and she wants it to be perfect. This is the first time her mother is going to see her perform and Rachel. . ." Quinn stepped around the car and looked down at Rachel and Puck, "Is here too." She looked at the girls, "Up to the room, go on; I'll be up in a bit."

"Everything okay?" Puck questioned from the ground. "Why were Sarah and Devon fighting?"

The blonde ran her hand through her hair and sighed, "Sarah's really stressed over this whole thing. She wanted to get at least a dozen full run-throughs of the choreography, since JJ hasn't been able to practice with the group, but Devon, who did all the light cues for the club last year, saw Sarah's lighting and started trying to fix it. So they only got through it three times before it just dissolved into Devon and Sarah screaming at each other. Mr. Schue had Sarah and Devon ride with him, I took the girls, and Mrs. Patel had the boys in her car."

"She's the twins' mother?" Rachel asked, "The girl with the glasses and the boy that won't take his hat off?"

"Yeah, that's Amaya and Andrew." Quinn confirmed.

"Do I need to say something to Devon?" Puck's voice had the 'big brother' edge to it.

Quinn shrugged, "I don't know. I mean he wasn't wrong about the lighting. If Sarah wasn't so on edge, then I don't think she would have overreacted like she did."

"I'm not going to watch tomorrow." Rachel announced suddenly.

"What?" Quinn's eyes widened.

Puck looked down at the girl in his arms, "I'm gonna have to back Q up on this. What do you mean you're not gonna watch tomorrow?"

Rachel bit her lip then forced herself to explain, "Sarah does not want me to watch her perform. She has snapped at me every time I bring up the performance. If knowing that I'm not in the audience will make her feel better, then I can do that for her."

He was staring at her like she was out of her mind.

"Rachel," Quinn knelt down to put herself on eye-level with her former enemy. "You need to see it. Sarah wants you to be there, she just wants it perfect." Quinn's phone rang out to the tune of "Haven't Met You Yet," and she looked down at it, her lips curving into an involuntary smile. "Rachel, trust me, it will mean the world to Sarah to know that you are there." She stood up and flipped open her phone. "Hello you." She skipped around the other side of the building quickly.

Rachel's mind was still processing Quinn's words, when Noah's voice rumbled in her ear, "Why didn't you tell me she was snapping at you?"

Her cheeks flushed, "I just didn't want to cause anymore problems."

.:.

Rachel sat in the audience trying to relax. Noah was talking to his mother and the New Directions' "Fan-club" was waiting for the intermission to end so they could see the group number. Her mind was wandering from Sarah's attitude, to the conversation with Quinn, to the fight she and Noah had heard between Sarah and New Directions' leader. When the soon-to-be sophomore had gotten out of the car last night, still growling at the soon-to-be senior, Mr. Schue was telling Sarah that she had to remove a 'drop' from the choreography. Sarah was arguing that it was necessary and she was going to do it no matter what. Devon and Mr. Schue had gone into the hotel, before Sarah even noticed they were sitting on the ground. Rachel had encouraged Sarah to do the drop; Mr. Schuester just didn't understand dramatic affect sometimes. Sarah had actually smiled at her, before hurrying into the hotel to practice.

That morning when she woke up for her run, she found Devon sitting outside the room, with coffee and Sarah's favorite breakfast sandwich. Rachel informed the boy that Sarah had chosen to stay in the room with the other girls; he thanked her and moved his vigil two rooms down.

Rebecca Puckerman tapped Rachel's arm to get her attention, "Do you know who this artist is?"

She leaned over Noah and looked that program, "Um, I'm not too familiar with Jessie J, she's a British artist. I know some of her songs are a little extreme."

"You'll like this one." Quinn, who was sitting next to Rachel, assured them. "It's got a great message."

"We will see." Rebecca's smirk was so similar to Noah's sometimes it was eerie.

Rachel fidgeted in her seat a little and felt Noah squeeze her hand, while still talking to his mother, "Ma, she knew you were gonna be here. She ain't gonna sing something that's gonna piss you off."

"And the things you used to sing?" She questioned her son.

He flashed a smile at her, "You loved Neil Diamond."

"And that fat girl song?"

"A phase, Ma." Noah kissed her cheek. "Just a phase."

"I hope so, you've finally found such a nice Jewish girl. Rachel is. . ." Rebecca might have continued but the light dimmed to signal the end of intermission.

"Save by the bell." Noah whispered in Rachel's ear. She giggled and tightened her grip on his hand.

The LCD screen lit up and Sarah's face appeared. She was wearing her reading glasses and she nervously tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Hello my name is Sarah Abigail Puckerman, from the National Champion New Directions glee club from McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio."

The question popped up on the screen: What inspires you about music?

"What inspires me about music is those involved in it. When you see someone who is truly dedicated to music you can watch it transform them. I mean, it's not just the artists that we see now, like musicians, who live in their cars until they make their big break, but it's those who are still striving to make it. The people who want it so much that they won't let anyone stop them and no matter how much pain they go through they know it's worth it. That's what inspires me to sing, I want to be as strong as the people around me. I sing for my mother who's been raising me on her own, for my brother who's going to be a famous songwriter, and for the other woman in my life, who has been through so much and has no idea how inspiring she has been to me, but she's about to find out."

Text appeared on the screen again: The song you will be singing?

"Jessie J's 'Who's Laughing Now?' My group consists of myself, January Jones, Amaya and Andrew Patel, Matthew Parks, Danielle Ranger, Viola O'Conner, Jared Becker and Crystal Simmons. I hope you enjoy it."

The spotlight came up on Jared on stage left doing a beat-box rhythm; after he started two other spots hit the stage – one on a trio of girls dressed in Cheerio uniforms and another on Matt and Andrew, the latter sporting a mohawk. The two groups were waving at each other from across the stage and pointing towards the middle and were mimicking laughter.

**Mummy they called me names **

**They wouldn't let me play**

**I'd run home, sit and cry almost everyday**

Rachel gasped when the center spotlight came up on Sarah, but it wasn't the words that caught her attention; it was the costume. Sarah was wearing a wig of long dark hair, a button up shirt with a vest over it, a short plaid skirt, knee socks, and penny loafers: she was Rachel Berry, the high school edition.

_Hey Jessica, you look like an alien  
>With green skin you don't fit in this playpen<em>

The three 'Cheerios' circled around Sarah and pushed her back and forth between them. The girls were clearly supposed to be the 'unholy trinity' and they certainly looked the part. As they sang their part the boys drew closer.

**Oh they pulled my hair  
>They took away my chair<br>I'd keep it in and pretend that I didn't care**

_Hey Jessica, you're so funny  
>You've got teeth just like Bugs Bunny <em>

After Sarah's section, the girls mocking sang their lines with their fingers pressed against their noses, clearing showing off their 'we're too good for you' posture, while Andrew splashed purple confetti on Sarah from a slushy cup and pushed her down. Sarah pounded her fist against the stage and JJ rushed in from stage left, pulled Sarah up, and the two started singing together.

_**Oh, so you think you know me now  
>Have you forgotten how<br>You would make me feel  
>When you dragged my spirit down?<br>But thank you for the pain  
>It made me raise my game<br>And I'm still rising, I'm still rising**_

_**Yeah Yeah**_

_**But who's laughing now  
>But who's laughing now<br>So raise the bar  
>Hit me hard<br>Play your cards  
>Be a star<br>But who's laughing now  
>But who's laughing now<br>**_

"I told you it was important to her that you see it. You're her inspiration." Quinn whispered to Rachel at almost the same time Noah was hearing his mother in his ear.

"Why did the boy with the mohawk throw a slushy Rachel's face?"

.:.

"Peek-a-boo! Peek-a-boo!" Rachel covered her face then revealed it to the toddler she was sharing the blanket with.

"You are so good with her, Rachel." Gail Becker complimented. "Shavohn doesn't normally take to new people."

"She's so precious, Mrs. . ."

"Gail." The red haired woman corrected. "Mrs. Becker is my mother-in-law, darling. Don't make me any older than I already am."

Rachel nodded and looked over to where Noah, Devon, Sarah, Tyrone, and AJ were all playing football. Her daddy, Leroy, was at the grill with Jared and Louis Becker comparing recipes, while her dad, Hiram, laughed at them while sipping on an iced tea. She was sitting under a tree with Gail and Rebecca playing with baby Shavohn, who Rachel found out had been placed with the Beckers through emergency foster care.

"I didn't realize that Jared and Devon were adopted." Rebecca remarked.

Gail looked at the other woman and blinked, "I don't even really think about it anymore. We've had the boys for over ten years now; adopted them eight years ago. We were foster parents for years, still certified, that's how we ended it up with these three while their birth mother finishes rehab. Devon and Jared's mother overdosed in the apartment they lived in; the police found them three days later. No one wanted two six year olds, especially with how troubled Devon was, but I loved them in an instant."

Sarah laughed out loud as she caught a pass from Puck and booked it for the 'goal-line,' but Devon out ran her and caught her by the middle swinging her around.

Puck complained, "Sarah, you run like a girl."

"Eizel, I am a girl." Sarah hollered as Devon put her back on her feet.

"Sarah, do not call your brother an idiot." Rebecca chastised making a face at her sometimes unruly children.

"We just love her."Gail drew Rebecca's attention back.

"My Sarah?"

"Yes, she's brought such a light to Devon and she's so polite anytime she's over." She handed Rachel a sippy cup for Shavohn and continued. "Your son seems like a wonderful young man too."

A smiled flashed across Rebecca's features before she cleared her throat, "Devon seems like a nice young man too, even if he isn't Jewish."

Gail laughed, "Well, I hope you won't hold that against us too much."

"Don't let Rebecca scare you, Gail, she's all talk." Hiram laughed as Rebecca cursed at him in Yiddish. "Rachel, can you go inside and get the salads?"

"Of course." She scrambled up and made her way to the house. The Berrys had the biggest house, so naturally this little get-together was being held at their house. She freshened herself up a bit in the upstairs bathroom, and she was about halfway down the stairs when she heard voices.

"That wasn't cool what you did to Rachel this weekend." Noah grumbled. "She was freaking out until she saw the performance."

"Yeah, then she wouldn't stop hugging me. If I woulda known she was gonna be weepy about me calling her an inspiration I wouldn't have done it. But trust me, Noah, she appreciated the drama of the whole bait and switch thing. It was a theatrical masterpiece." Sarah chuckled and it sounded like she opened the refrigerator door.

Rachel heard Noah sigh and a bottle cap open.

"But that's not what you wanna talk to me about." Sarah's shoes thumped on the kitchen floor. "You wanna talk about the sex talk I had with Quinn."

"There's nothing talk about; you're too young." Noah very rarely used a tone that serious. "If he tries or tried to make you do anything. . ."

"You're not my father." Sarah cut him off quickly, but not angrily. The tone she used was matter-of-fact and quiet. "I don't have one, remember? Look, I asked Quinn those sex questions, and brought it up with Rachel, well Rachel wasn't really on purpose when it happened, I was gonna talk to her about it it at some point, but then this song came on and. . ." Sarah paused in the middle of her rant and sighed heavily, "Now, I'm rambling like Rachel and I'm off topic. Point is, you're my brother and you need to focus on living your life, not trying to be the dad that ours didn't wanna be."

"So you're not having sex?" Noah's mind was little one-track at the moment.

Sarah laughed out loud. "No, I'm fifteen. And I'm not stupid, I know other kids my age are; but I'm not ready and I know I don't have to."

"Why would you have to?"

"To keep a boy. And before you go after Devon with the knife you're reaching for, he's never even brought it up." Rachel could hear Sarah moving around again. "You taught me that I don't have to sex to have be loved."

"Me? Were you wearing blinders and earmuffs the whole time I was in high school?"

She started laughing again, "No dumbass, I learned from your mistakes. Besides, every girl you ever dated, or slept with as it was sometimes, was completely different. So I figure, even if Devon's not _th__e_ guy, there is someone out there that's gonna love me just for me, no matter who decide I am."

Rachel let out a breath as she heard Noah chuckle a little. "Do me a favor, just get a girl to run with this year. Maybe spend a little less time with the boys?"

"Okay."

"That was too easy; why aren't you arguing?"

"Carmen's starting at McKinley next year."

Rachel decided this was a safe time to finish descending the stairs.

"Hell no!" Noah growled.

"Who's Carmen?" Rachel asked as she entered the kitchen.

Noah opened the fridge door for her, "Santana's sister."

"Half sister, just ask either of them." Sarah corrected, picking up the covered dessert dishes. "Rachel, the cookies on the green plates are vegan, but Mrs. Becker's never used the recipe before, so she says if they taste bad don't feel obligated to eat them."

"You are not running with a Lopez." Noah was still arguing as Sarah opened the patio door.

Sarah winked at Rachel, "Come on, a Puckerman and a Lopez, it's like fate or some shit. All we need is another Berry."

Noah threw his arm around Rachel's shoulder, "Not another one like her, they broke the mold with this one."

**Please review ^_^**


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